Change Status when creating an issue

[Lina Praškevičiūtė]

When creating an issue I'd like to be able to edit starting Status so that I don't need to create an issue and then change status as a two-step process (which is slower). How can I achieve this?

Context: In our project, most of the issues that are created go to the backlog (workflow starts with status "New" which isn't shown in boards), but we also frequently create issues which should go to the board directly (status "Ready for development").

[Patrick Einheber · Accepted solution]

I've created https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRACLOUD-69559 for this.

[Joris Vleminckx]

People arriving to this place after googling, please go to the above ticket and "vote" for it (top right corner).

[Joris Vleminckx]

The feature now exists in Cloud! 

Cf. https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-questions/Change-Status-when-creating-an-issue/qaq-p/746730?utm_campaign=kudos_comment&utm_medium=email&utm_source=atlcomm&utm_content=topic

[Steven Behnke · Accepted solution]

It's not possible out of the box.

For my instance I have a listener that checks for a customfield value. If this customfield value (auto-close ticket) is present, the listener automatically fires the Close Issue transition.

It sounds like you'd want something similar. 

[Artur Kornakov]

Hi guys!
Found a workaround that's could be useful not only for me:
1. Create a checkbox custom field with the name 'Set the status' (or other) with option (e.g status Selected for development) and add it to the issue view.
You will see it on your 'create issue' window.

Actually you could make as many statuses as you want.

2. Create an trigger with condition and action in Jira Automation (it's free):
When: Issue created -> 
If: Set the status is not empty (different if you created many statuses)
Then: Transition the status to 'Selected for development'

That's all, now if you select the status while the issue creation it will be automatically change the status.

But anyway hope that Jira developers will focus on that issue soon.

[nick.w]

I used the same field, but a different automation rule. The results are the same.

[Sarah Reed]

How did you create the custom checkbox?

[Max Howarth]

Confirmed that this works as described!

[Max Howarth]

@Sarah Reed you can create the custom fields by clicking the gear icon in the top right, going to "Issues" under "Jira Settings" and then looking for "Custom Fields" in the left side-bar.

[Larry Johnson]

One other approach that accomplishes this without having to create a separate custom field is to come up with some "quick text" that the user can type in at the begging of the summary.  Then use an automation rule to look for issues that are created and that start with that quick text.  The automation rule can then transition the issue to the appropriate status based on that quick text, and it can remove that quick text from the issue (so its like it was never there, and so that you do not have random text in your issue).

Example:
Issue with summary that starts with "td "
The automation rule transitions the issue to a status of Today (one of my statuses in a personal task workflow). Then rule also edits the Summary field in the issue to remove the "td " - edit value of {{issue.summary.remove("td ")}}

Issue with summary that starts with "wl"   <- the automation rule transitions the issue to a status of Worklist (another status in my personal task workflow). Then rule also edits the Summary field in the issue to remove the "td " - edit value of {{issue.summary.remove("wl ")}}

The bonus of this is that you do not have an additional custom field and maintenance, and it actually ends up being really quick. This also works in Team managed projects which are little more challenging with regards to custom fields and automation rules.

[Aaron K A]

With the "new" View, the location of custom fields seems to have changed.  I was able to find it here:

Custom fields - Jira (atlassian.net)

[Admin Hustak]

This needs to be added as an option.  It's just a headache.   These aren't solutions.  They are work arounds,

[Steven F Behnke]

It's not really that complicated. Jira does not treat the Workflow/Status as a field. It's a complex arrangement of states, actions, conditions, validations, and other properties. Just 'setting' the status makes no sense whatsoever. 

You should look into IssueService and the Workflow XML. It's pretty clear that the underlying Workflow Engine (OS Workflow) accepts and supports an Initial Action, which clearly Atlassian has mirrored into their model: https://docs.atlassian.com/software/jira/docs/api/latest/com/atlassian/jira/bc/issue/IssueService.html

For instance: 

create(ApplicationUser user, IssueService.CreateValidationResult createValidationResult, String initialWorkflowActionName)

The IssueService::create method clearly has an argument `initialWorkflowActionName`. Presumably there's a method of modifying the Workflow XML to pass in this initialWorkflowActionName somehow. I would imagine that would give you what you're looking for, but that's just a guess on my part. 

[Sam Hatoum]

not be complicated + a bunch of XML + a create() function is an oxymoron :)

I want to be able to create some tickets to go straight to the backlog, and other tickets to go straight into my "selected for development" column when I create that ticket. This is a UX problem and not a technical one. 

[Shawn_L_]

This reply has been deleted.

[Steven F Behnke]

Shawn, I don't think this question has anything to do with your issue.

[Cristian Rosas [Tecnofor]]

Exactly as @Steven Behnke said. With Jira Service Desk you can use Automation to accomplish this.

[Cristian Rosas [Tecnofor]]

Well @Michael J Love gave an obvious idea. You can make the transition available, but only use the transition that jump statuses when you need it!

You could also use a condition in that transition that avoid mistakes.

[Michael J Love]

I edited my workflow so that the first status upon creation is "Backlog". 

You need to copy your existing workflow. Edit it, and then assign the scheme to the issue types.  

It will ask you to map statuses on any existing issues that use the status that is no longer in your workflow.

[Michael J Love]

[Michael J Love]

[Joris Vleminckx]

Update 2023: Atlassian has added this feature and has been rolling it out (amidst quite somo criticism) from users who didn't need the feature. ;-)

An example:

[Gregory Martin]

Thanks for this information. Would you happen to know in which version of jira Data center this sub-feature has been released in? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Karin Berg]

Is this also already available in Jira Cloud? Because I do not have the option to set the initial Status.

[Joris Vleminckx]

@Kar My screenshot is related to the Cloud version.

[Karin Berg]

@Joris Vleminckx Just to be sure: Are we talking about the Automation Action "Create issue" or just the manual creation of an issue via the UI?

[Joris Vleminckx]

In my manual creation I see the "set status" combo (cf. above screenshot).

[Karin Berg]

ok, when using the manual creation I also see the "set status" combo box. But when using the Automation Action "Create issue", then this is not possible.

[Jason Wigle]

I just want to agree with the consensus here.

I've been sent here by my producer because he, and other members of the team, find it to be a UX drag to create tickets and not be able to set them as "ready for development" or in our case "Not Started".  (Same/Same) 

I don't want to expose the team to the ENTIRE backlog on their Kanban board. Just the things that have been groomed and selected. And yes, sometimes we know they're selected as we make them. 

It's Agile dev after all.  

This is a UX issue and it should be as simple as selecting, somewhere, to add the status dropdown to the ticket creation window. 

[AndrewZ]

I "fixed" this issue by changing my Jira usage habits. When I need to create new issue and start working on it instantly - I do following

• add new issue
• click on "popup message" and open issue page
• set status to "In progress"

That's pretty logical, because I don't need to create few "In progress" issues and I need to open issue page anyway in order to add comments to it about progress etc.