Manually closing parent work items after sub-tasks are resolved is tedious, slows teams down, and makes reports inaccurate. This free step-by-step guide shows you how to automatically transition Jira work items using Jira Misc Workflow Extensions (JMWE). With automation in place, your teams can stay focused on work, not cleanup.
Download the guide to see how certified Jira administrators implement auto-close transitions in real projects.
What you’ll learn
- How to set up parent and child workflows with auto-close logic
- Using JMWE conditions like Hide transition and Sub-Task Blocking
- Adding post functions to update resolution fields and comments
- Best practices for ensuring transitions fire only when criteria are met
- Troubleshooting common setup problems
Automate the repetitive work
Forgetting to close parent work items is common and it causes compliance and reporting headaches. This guide helps you:
- Configure global transitions for auto-closing tasks
- Ensure parent work items move to “Closed” only when all children are resolved
- Add comments automatically so teams understand why work items were transitioned
- Test workflows step by step to confirm they work as expected
This guide is designed for:
- Jira administrators setting up multi-team workflows who are looking to save time by automating repetitive transitions, reduce manual errors, and keep reports accurate.
- Workflow designers responsible for scaling Jira usage who want to implement smarter transitions, document processes clearly, and reduce admin overhead.
- IT managers overseeing compliance who need assurance that work items can’t slip through without being properly closed, improving audit readiness.
- Agile team leads managing epics and stories who want to simplify backlog hygiene, eliminate status mismatches, and keep delivery metrics reliable.
Download the guide: How to automatically transition Jira work items
Want to eliminate manual cleanup in Jira workflows?
Download the guide to automate parent/child work item transitions and keep your instance running smoothly.
Built by experts — ready to use
Written by Rachel Wright, certified Jira administrator and author of the Jira Strategy Admin Workbook, this walkthrough includes screenshots, conditions, and post-function setups you can replicate in your own instance.
To ensure Appfire is providing and delivering the most up-to-date and best information to our users that depend on us, this article has also been expertly reviewed by Dan Tombs.
Dan Tombs is a Solution Architect at Appfire with hands-on experience across the Atlassian ecosystem since 2016. He’s worked with end customers, solution partners, and now helps teams thrive by shaping tools and processes around how they actually work and not the other way around. Dan champions automation as a path to scaling productivity, reducing context switching, and unlocking what teams do best.