How to make the new Parent field mandatory for Stories

[Eduardo Rodrigues]

Hi,

Jira has recently introduced the new Parent field.

I want to make it mandatory for Tasks, Stories and Epics across multiple projects.

I cannot see how

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-Software-articles/Introducing-the-new-Parent-field-in-company-managed-projects/ba-p/2377758

I understand I could use a transition validation, but that would require me to configure every project since they use different workflows.

Ideally, I want to do that at Field Configuration level, but the Parent field isn't there

[Cindy Kim]

have the same question here. My company is also using Task, Epic, Initiative, and Strategy levels, so we want to make the "parent" field mandatory but cannot find it in the Field Configuration page.

Please let me know if you figured this out!

[Phil Lee]

I have the same need. The answers below misunderstand the meaning of "mandatory field". I need users to connect any and all epics to an issue higher in the hierarchy whenever they create or update an epic. I'll let you know what I find out. I have a feeling I may have to use a workaround with automation to implement a nagging strategy so users deal with their unaligned issues.

[Cindy Kim]

Hi Phil, I found the workaround in the Workflow > Create transition > Validator. Hope this works with you as well! 

[David Bakkers]

Hello @Eduardo Rodrigues 

You have misunderstood what the Parent field is for. It is an internal field that is automatically managed by Jira itself and automatically allocated whenever one issue type is a child of another (IE, Sub Task is a child to a Story) so the upper issue becomes the parent.

You cannot make that field mandatory via a Field Configuration scheme and 'force' it on an issue type, like Epics, that it simply does not apply to (IE since there is no issue level higher than an Epic, an Epic can never have a parent).

[Eduardo Rodrigues]

Hi @David Bakkers ,

thanks for the answer.

I get the point, but we have a higher level called Initiative where the Epics belong to.

Any suggestion on how to handle this?

tks

[David Bakkers]

Sorry, but I don't think I can help you any further, as I just don't understand what you mean by "how to handle this"... as there is nothing for you to 'handle', as far as I know.

If you have enabled the Issue type of Initiative and made it the parent of the Issue type Epic via an Issue Configuration Scheme, then Jira will automatically 'handle' making the parent field 'mandatory' for all Epics in all Projects using that scheme, and there is nothing you can or should do to change that outcome for that field.

Somehow I get the feeling you're really just asking how to use a single Issue Configuration Scheme and apply it to multiple Projects. If so, there are plenty of articles like this one on that topic.

[Hope Man]

Still in the process of working this out but I'm not sure what David is talking about here. Maybe you are thinking about Jira Datacenter (could be different there)?

Setting up a hierarchy does not automatically make the parent mandatory as you explain here:

If you have enabled the Issue type of Initiative and made it the parent of the Issue type Epic via an Issue Configuration Scheme, then Jira will automatically 'handle' making the parent field 'mandatory' for all Epics in all Projects using that scheme, and there is nothing you can or should do to change that outcome for that field.

What Eduardo says is indeed correct.

The new Parent field can't be made mandatory in the field configuration, but I think a workflow validator on the create transition can be used, which is something, even though this doesn't prevent people from removing the parent through an edit action later on.