Making Some Fields Editable in a Locked Status in Jira Cloud

When a workflow status in Jira Cloud is made to be read-only, all fields are locked by default. Use the trick in this tutorial to allow users to edit some fields, while all other fields remain locked.

For example, you might want to allow:

• project admins to update the Fix Versions field on a closed record
• quality reviewers to complete a compliance assessment during a review cycle
• service agents to update fields of a help desk ticket during specific stages of the workflow

Configuring a Company-managed Project

1. As a site administrator, go to Settings –> Issues.
2. Create a new custom screen:
   • Navigate to Screens.
   • Select Add Screen.
   • Give your screen a useful name and description.  (e.g. “Update Fix Versions” or “Update Compliance Assessment“)
   • Save your new screen.
   • Find your new screen in the list and click into it to configure its field list.
   • Add all the fields you wish to make editable in your locked workflow status.  (Do not add any other fields.)
3. Create a special transition to display the new screen:
   • Navigate to Workflows.
   • Make a copy of your project’s workflow, and open the copy for editing.
   • Locate the target workflow status for your new configuration.  (e.g. If users should be able to update Fix Versions in the Done status, select that status here.)
   • Select to add a new “circular” transition as follows:
     • From status:  current status, (e.g. Done)
     • To status: current status, (e.g. Done)
     • Name: Give a meaningful, user-friendly name, (e.g. Update Fix Versions)
     • Description: Give a useful description
     • Screen: select the new screen you created in Steps 2, above.
   • Save the new transition.
4. If desired, restrict the transition using a workflow condition:
   • Select to view the details of the transition created in Step 3.
   • Select Conditions.
   • Select Add condition.
   • Configure the desired rule. (e.g. User is in project role: Administrators)
5. Add the same special transition to other statuses, as desired.
6. Associate your new workflow with your project:
   • Go to Workflow schemes.
   • Locate your project’s workflow scheme in the list and select Edit.
   • Select Add workflow –> Add existing.
   • Select the updated workflow you created in Step 3, above.  Press Next.
   • Select the issue type(s) you would like to associate with this updated workflow.
   • Press Finish.
   • Select Publish (confirming all prompts as needed).

Configuring a Team-managed Project

Unfortunately, this configuration strategy is not supported on team-managed projects (as of the time of this posting).  Team-managed projects do not support transition screens.

View the Atlassian enhancement request here to check on the current status, and to give it a vote:  JSWCLOUD-22084 – Ability to display a transition screen in team-managed project 

Related Tutorials

• 01 – Locking Issues by Workflow Status in Jira Cloud

More Information

Find more strategies like this in my Quick Start Guide for Jira Cloud:  https://www.agile-innovations.tech/part-11