flake-update-20260201

Transition Jira Issue Through Workflow

Move issues through workflow states (To Do → In Progress → Done, etc.).

When to Use

  • User wants to change issue status
  • Moving issue to next workflow step
  • Starting or completing work
  • Marking issues as blocked or resolved

Steps

  1. Identify the issue to transition
  2. Determine target state (e.g., In Progress, Done)
  3. Check available transitions if unsure
  4. Execute transition command
  5. Confirm success and offer follow-up

Commands

Move to State

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "In Progress"

List Available Transitions

jira issue transitions ISSUE-KEY

Interactive Transition

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY

Shows menu of available transitions

Common Workflow States

Red Hat Jira typical workflow:

  • To Do - Not started
  • In Progress - Actively working
  • Code Review - Implementation done, awaiting review
  • QE Review - Code reviewed, awaiting QA
  • Blocked - Waiting on external dependency
  • Done - Completed and verified

Common Transitions

Start Work

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "In Progress"

Submit for Review

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Code Review"

Pass to QA

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "QE Review"

Mark Complete

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Done"

Mark Blocked

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Blocked"

Reopen

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "To Do"

Workflow Patterns

Standard Flow

To Do → In Progress → Code Review → QE Review → Done

With Blocking

Any State → Blocked → [Previous State]

Reopening

Done → To Do (or In Progress)

Examples

Example 1: Start Working

User: “Start work on SRVKP-1234”

Actions:

  1. Transition to In Progress:
jira issue move SRVKP-1234 "In Progress"
  1. Optionally assign to yourself:
jira issue assign SRVKP-1234 $(jira me)
  1. Optionally add comment:
jira issue comment add SRVKP-1234 "Starting work on this issue"

Response: “Moved SRVKP-1234 to In Progress and assigned to you.”

Example 2: Submit for Review

User: “SRVKP-7327 is ready for review”

Actions:

jira issue move SRVKP-7327 "Code Review"
jira issue comment add SRVKP-7327 "Implementation complete. PR: https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123"

Example 3: Mark as Blocked

User: “SRVKP-5678 is blocked by another issue”

Actions:

jira issue move SRVKP-5678 "Blocked"
jira issue comment add SRVKP-5678 "Blocked by SRVKP-9999. Cannot proceed until that's resolved."

Example 4: Complete Work

User: “Mark SRVKP-1234 as done”

Actions:

jira issue move SRVKP-1234 "Done"
jira issue comment add SRVKP-1234 "Completed. Tested and verified in production."

Example 5: Check Available Transitions

User: “What can I do with SRVKP-1234?”

Action:

jira issue transitions SRVKP-1234

Shows available transitions for the issue’s current state.

Bulk Transitions

Move Multiple Issues

for issue in SRVKP-1 SRVKP-2 SRVKP-3; do
  jira issue move "$issue" "In Progress"
done

Move Based on Criteria

# Start all my To Do tasks
jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser() AND status = 'To Do'" --plain | \
while read key rest; do
  jira issue move "$key" "In Progress"
  jira issue comment add "$key" "Starting work"
done

Complete Sprint Items

# Mark current sprint tasks as done
jira issue list --jql "sprint in openSprints() AND assignee = currentUser() AND status = 'QE Review'" --plain | \
while read key rest; do
  jira issue move "$key" "Done"
done

Workflow Best Practices

1. Assign Before Starting

jira issue assign ISSUE-KEY $(jira me)
jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "In Progress"

2. Add Comments on Transition

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Code Review"
jira issue comment add ISSUE-KEY "Ready for review. PR: [link]"

3. Document Blocks

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Blocked"
jira issue comment add ISSUE-KEY "Blocked because: [reason]. Blocking issue: [ISSUE-KEY]"

4. Log Work on Completion

jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Done"
jira worklog add ISSUE-KEY "4h" "Implemented feature X and tests"

# Complete task and update epic
jira issue move SRVKP-1234 "Done"
jira issue comment add SRVKP-1000 "Subtask SRVKP-1234 completed"

Common Transition Scenarios

Scenario 1: Taking Over Work

# Assign and start
jira issue assign ISSUE-KEY $(jira me)
jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "In Progress"
jira issue comment add ISSUE-KEY "Taking over this work"

Scenario 2: Handing Off

# Move to review and notify
jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Code Review"
jira issue comment add ISSUE-KEY "[~reviewer] Ready for your review"

Scenario 3: Unblocking

# Move from blocked back to in progress
jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "In Progress"
jira issue comment add ISSUE-KEY "Blocker resolved, resuming work"

Scenario 4: Closing Duplicate

# Link to original and close
jira issue link ISSUE-KEY ORIGINAL-KEY "duplicates"
jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "Done"
jira issue comment add ISSUE-KEY "Duplicate of [ORIGINAL-KEY]"

Validation Checks

Before transitioning, consider:

  • Assignee: Is it assigned to the right person?
  • Sprint: Is it in a sprint if needed?
  • Linked issues: Are dependencies resolved?
  • Required fields: Are all mandatory fields filled?
  • Acceptance criteria: Are they met (for Done)?

State-Specific Actions

When Moving to “In Progress”

  • Assign to yourself
  • Add comment about approach
  • Update story points if needed
  • Link to related work

When Moving to “Code Review”

  • Add PR link in comment
  • Tag reviewers
  • Ensure tests pass
  • Update documentation

When Moving to “Done”

  • Verify acceptance criteria
  • Log work time
  • Update fix version
  • Add release notes if needed

When Moving to “Blocked”

  • Document blocker clearly
  • Link blocking issue
  • Set target resolution date
  • Notify stakeholders

Follow-up Actions

After transition:

  • Update TODO: Sync with org-mode TODOs
  • Notify team: If affects others
  • Update notes: Document in denote notes
  • Check dependencies: Update linked issues
  • Plan next: Identify next task

Tips

  • Use autocomplete: Type first letters of state
  • Check transitions: Use transitions command if unsure
  • Add context: Always comment on major transitions
  • Be consistent: Follow team conventions
  • Update promptly: Don’t let states go stale
  • Consider dependencies: Check linked issues
  • Track time: Log work on meaningful transitions

Integration

  • TODOs Skill: Update org-mode TODO states
  • Notes Skill: Document transition reasoning
  • Git Skill: Reference in commits
  • Email Skill: Notify stakeholders