Problem: Every issue created automatically assigned to the Project Lead

[Daryl Francis]

Expected: New tickets start out assigned as Unassigned if the Assignee field is left as Automatic.

Actual: No matter what, new tickets get assigned to the Project Lead initially. Even if I specify myself or another user as the Assignee. That always gets overridden and assigned to the Project Lead. 

Under Project Settings > Details the Default Assignee is set to Unassigned. However the initial assignee on all new tickets is the person named in the Project Lead field. I can't get tickets to start out being assigned to Unassigned or whoever is specified in the Assignee field when the ticket is created. 

What I've looked at so far

1. Confirmed: Jira settings > System > General Configuration > Allow unassigned issues = ON

2. This project has zero Components configured.

3. This project has zero Triggers configured. 

4. Again, Project Settings > Details the Default Assignee is set to Unassigned.

[Alan Stephenson]

From what I can remember, if your settings at the project level is set to Unassigned, you don't have any components being used on the ticket being generated and you checked the workflow then I am not sure where it is setting it. 

I know in a workflow CREATE option you can tell JIRA to assign to a particular user, or, even a particular role. I could create a workflow on a project when a ticket is created to automatically assign the ticket to the project lead.

One way to test is to put another user account in the project lead for this project. Then do a test ticket to see if it still assigns the ticket to the project lead or some other account. Then you can see if it really is going to the project lead or not.

[Daryl Francis]

Good idea. Here's what I just tested.

1) Changed to Project Lead to myself (instead of the original person). Also, verified that Default Assignee is still set to Unassigned. 

2) Saved the change.

3) Created a new ticket and left the Assignee set to Automatic. 

4) Saved the new ticket. 

5) Opened up the new ticket. 

6) Sure enough it automatically set the Assignee to myself. 

7) Checked the History on the ticket. Found a single line: <user> created the Issue (2 minutes ago). 

So, I think that confirms it is using the Project Lead. 

[Alan Stephenson]

It could be a post function when the ticket is created that will assign it to the project lead or, depending on what type of jira project this is (Software or if you are using Jira Service Management (aka Jira Service Desk) something is automatically assigning it to the project lead.

[Daryl Francis]

This is based on Software project. 

As an update, I tried

1) Changing the Default Assignee to Project Lead. 

2) Created another ticket. Automatically set it to the Project Lead (myself) as expected.

3) Then changed Default Assignee back to Unassigned.

4) Created another ticket. Still automatically set the assignee on the ticket to the Project Lead (myself). 

So toggling the Default Assignee between Project Lead and Unassigned setting had no affect. 

[Daryl Francis]

This was the problem. I deleted this Post function and that fixed it. I did not know to look here. Very glad I know this now. There are some powerful things I could use this for. Very cool! Thanks for all the help!

[CJ Reeves]

Can you advise how you are able to get to this screen? I am having the same issue and not able to find this post functions list.

[Karen Yu]

Hi CJ, not sure if you're still having trouble with this. I just fixed mine and figured I would post. I'm not a super experienced admin, so my wording might be off, but this is what worked for me.

1. Go to Jira settings > Issues.

2. Go to Workflows.

3. Edit the workflow you want.

4. Select Diagram view.

5. Check the box to "show transition labels"

6. Click the transition.

7. Click Post Functions.

8. Remove the post function that assigns the issue to the lead developer.

9. Publish workflow to save changes.

[CJ Reeves]

I don't have that post function unfortunately.

[Petr Agulin]

Me too. Assigning was not on the list. And still, when creating a new issue and leaving the assignee field with default "Automatic", it assigns the ticket to the project lead. I've checked all the suggestions from this thread (we don't have automations, plugins and stuff, and the main setting says to assign it to "Unassigned"). Yet something messes up with this assignment.

[Petr Agulin]

UPD: tried a little bit more of this and that - and found out that selecting a Component on issue creation affects the assignee field value: If not selected - it stays unassigned. If selected - it goes to the project lead. Changing the more narrow "Component assignee" setting resolved the issue for me. Now all created issues go to unassigned, even if a component is selected.

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Daryl Francis 

Welcome to the community.

Also review the Automations that are set up for the project and globally to see if any of those automatically set issue assignee upon issue creation.

[Daryl Francis]

Thank you for the suggestion. Here's what I found:

5) Jira > System > Global Automation: No Rules setup on this Project. 

6) Project > Project Settings > Automation: No Rules setup on this Project. 

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Daryl Francis 

Yes, and...to Trudy's ideas: If you look at a specific issue's history/activity, does it show anything else changing the assignee, perhaps another addon app?

Kind regards,
Bill

[Daryl Francis]

History shows a single line: 

"<user> created the Issue 2 minutes ago. "

Nother activity in the ticket's history. 

[Bill Sheboy]

Thanks, Daryl.

I do not see this symptom listed as a defect in the public backlog, so at this point I suggest two next steps:

• Work with your Jira Admin to create a test project and try to recreate the symptom.  This will determine if there is something specific with this project or with all the projects.  (I suspect it is this project.)
• If you are on a paid Jira license level, work with your Jira Admin to submit a ticket to Atlassian Support...they can see additional logging which we cannot.  https://support.atlassian.com/contact/#/  Once you hear back from them, post what you learn to benefit the community.  Thanks!

[Daryl Francis]

I have created a new project and this works correctly on the new project. 

So, yes, this has to be an issue specific to this particular project.

[Alan Stephenson]

Glad you found it. That was going to be my next suggestion.

[Daryl Francis]

Well, this doesn't fix the issue with the project in question. At least new projects will function properly, right? :-)

[Alan Stephenson]

Correct. Finding this isn't easy as others have pointed out common areas to look at for when this is happening. Since it works on an new project it leads to something in the configuration of the original project in question.

When I have encountered this, the first series of steps is what we do to investigate like what you did. When you changed the project lead from Person A to Person B, created a new ticket and Person B was assigned that tells us there is some process which is assigning the ticket to the project lead.

Sometimes this could be in the workflow, sometimes this could be in a automation rule. These are difficult problems to find without digging into the project configurations.

[Mohamed Benziane]

Hi,

Welcome to the community.

Take a look at your workflow and look if you have some automation that set the assignee automatically.

[Daryl Francis]

I looked at the workflow and don't see any automations whatsoever.