Introduction

Jira automation rules are the most popular way to automate processes in Jira. They come free with Jira cloud and Data Center platform (with free app installation)

Jira automation is a powerful tool that streamlines your workflow by automating common requests. With Jira automation, you can set up custom rules and triggers to perform tasks, such as assigning issues, updating fields, and sending notifications. This feature is included with both Jira Cloud and Data Center, so there's no additional cost. Using Jira automation saves time, reduces errors, and improves team efficiency. By automating routine tasks, your team can focus on more complex work.

Review the Atlassian Jira Software automation basics to learn and get started with building your automations.

One of the best parts of Jira automation is that you don't need to be a coding expert to take full advantage of it. With Jira's 'no-code' automation, you can easily create custom rules for your projects with just a few clicks. This means that you can save time and increase efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, without needing to learn how to write code. I will present common examples and guide you through a step by step automation rule creation.

Automation rules are made up of three parts: triggers that kick off the rule, conditions that refine the rule, and actions that perform tasks on your site.

Triggers, conditions, and actions are the building blocks of automation. Combine these components to create rules that can do anything from auto-closing old issues to notifying specific teams when a release has been shipped.

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History

Code Barrel, the company behind the "Automation for Jira" app (formerly known as "Automation for Jira - by Code Barrel"), was founded by two former Atlassian employees, Nick Menere and Andreas Knecht. They created the Automation for Jira app to provide advanced automation capabilities within Jira.

Automation for Jira provides an easy-to-use "no-code" capability that requires just a few clicks to set up. By automating your processes and workflows, you eliminate the need for manual and repetitive tasks, freeing you and your team to focus on the work that truly matters. The initial release of Automation for Jira by Code Barrel was in 2016. Since then, the app has undergone significant development and updates to enhance its automation features and capabilities for Jira users.

In 2019 Atlassian acquired Code Barrel, the maker of Automation for Jira

And migrate it into the Jira core.

Today you can use automation rules in Jira software and also in Jira Service Management and Confluence.

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Data Center vs Cloud

Automation for Jira is now part of Jira Software Data Center 9.0 and Jira Service Management Data Center 5.0. If you're on one of these or later versions, you don't need to download this app, as the functionality is already included in Jira. You can find it in Project Settings> Automation.

If you're on any earlier Data Center version, you can download and use this app for free here: Automation for Jira for Data Center installation.

If you're a Server customer with an existing Automation for Jira license, you can renew your license until Feb 15, 2024. Learn more

Take a look and explore the Differences between Automation in Jira Server and Jira Cloud.

Note the number of rule runs per month in the cloud is limited, according to your  license plan.

Read more about the change Atlassian announced about how they count and limit the rules run since 1-November-2023 Changes to our Automation packaging model for Jira Cloud

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Real world examples

Let’s review some real-world examples, step by step.

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Change due date when issue move to in-progress

The first simple example is changing a field due to an issue status change.

In your company, a developer's expected time for bug-solving is two working days. Once a developer moves a bug to in-progress status, you would like to automatically set the bug due date two days ahead.

Step 1

Create a new rule and add an “Issue transitioned” trigger.

This rule will execute when issues move from open to in progress status.

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Step 2

Add a condition

The condition will check if the issue is a bug.

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Step 3

Add an action: Edit issue fields.

Update the due date to be two days ahead.

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Publish the rule.

You are all set. The rule is ready.

From now on, each bug that transits from open to in-progress will automatically set the issue due date field to 2 days ahead.

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Update parent issue to in progress when one of the issue children moves to In Progress.

If you work in sub-tasks, the parent task should be updated automatically to In Progress status when one of its sub-tasks moves to in-progress status.

Follow the next steps:

1. Create a rule and add a trigger: When issue moves to In Progress:
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2. Add a condition: issue type equals to a sub-task:
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3. Create a branch: for parent:

4.  Add action: transition the issue to in progress:

Publish the rule and give it a name. Turn it on.

You are all set. When a sub-task transit is in progress, its parent will move automatically to in progress.

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Email notification about high priority issue

Sometimes, you want to have a notification for a particular case.

In the following example, you want a group of Jira members to get an email notification when an issue with the highest priority is created.

1. Create rule and add a trigger: When issue created:
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2. Add a condition:

3. Add an action:
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Publish the rule, give it a name and turn it on.
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Note you have many more options for notification besides sending an email.

You can send Slack notifications, Microsoft team notifications, SMS, and more.
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Create a new confluence page when a new epic is created.

If you are using Confluence, think about automation related to Jira-Confluence integration. For this example, a page in Confluence is created each time a new epic is created. The name page name will be the Epic key, followed by the epic summary.

1. Create a rule and add a trigger: When issue created:
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2. Add a condition: issue type equal Epic:
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3. Add an action:
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Publish the rule, give it a name and turn it on.
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Any epic creation will create a new Confluence page with the epic name and summary as the page name. In the rule action, you can configure the Confluence space name and the parent page.

Note that Jira automation rules do not support (yet) the linking of Jira issues to a Confluence page.

If you need this ability, try installing Elements Publish - create Confluence pages from Jira issues app from the Atlassian marketplace to support this requirement.

When Epic is Done, close all Epic’s issues.

In this last example, you should transition all issues of an Epic to Done status when the Epic transitions to Done instead of moving them one by one. Use it carefully, as this automation can influence all the child issues of the Epic.

1. Create a rule and a add trigger: When issue transitioned to Done:

2. Add condition: Issue Type equal to Epic:

3. Add a Branch action: for all issues in Epic:
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4. Add condition: Status is not Done:

5. Add action: transition issue to Done:
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Publish the rule, give it a name and turn it on.
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‍Summary

Automation rules are about enhancing collaboration, reducing errors, and ensuring that your team consistently delivers quality work. Whether you're just starting with Jira or looking to refine your existing setup without writing code, you can create automation in minutes and improve the efficiency of Jira teamwork.

When you start creating automation, I recommend reading this article 10 Strategies for Building, Testing, and Maintaining Jira Automation Rules, to learn about Jira automation strategies.

Automation rules are the most popular way to create automation.

It gives most of the common need for automation requests.

However, you can consider using other methods; read the Simplifying Jira Tasks: Review of automation apps and tools to compare the different automation methods.