Jira is a powerful tool in the realm of project management, providing teams with a reliable platform to efficiently organize, monitor, and oversee their projects. It plays a crucial role in monitoring the advancement of tasks, often referred to as ‘tickets’ or ‘issues’. Yet, there may arise situations where a Jira ticket must be hindered. This may occur for a range of reasons, such as the ticket being reliant on another or when progress cannot be made until a resolution is reached for a particular issue.
In this blog post, we will guide you through the steps on how to block a Jira ticket. But first, what exactly does it mean to block a Jira ticket?
What does “Block” mean in Jira?
In Jira, blocking a ticket essentially means that the ticket is currently on hold and cannot be progressed due to an impediment. The impediment could be an unresolved problem or a dependency on another issue. Simply put, a blocked ticket is one that cannot be worked on until the issue causing the block is resolved.
How to Block a Jira Ticket
Blocking a Jira ticket involves changing its status to “Blocked”. You can achieve this by modifying the workflow of the ticket. Here’s how:
Note: Before proceeding, ensure that you have the necessary permissions to modify workflows in Jira.
Step 1: Access the Workflow
From the project page in Jira, go to Project Settings > Workflows.
Step 2: Edit the Workflow
Select the workflow that needs to be edited, and click on ‘Diagram’.
Step 3: Add a New Status
You will see a “Statuses” section in the workflow. Click on the “Add Status” link.
In the dialogue box that appears, provide the following details:
– Name: Blocked
– Description: Task cannot be progressed
– Category: To Do or In Progress (depending on your team’s preference)
Step 4: Add a Transition to the New Status
Next, add a transition from the existing statuses to the new “Blocked” status. To do this:
1. Hover over the status from which you want to create a transition and click on the “Add transition” button that appears.
2. Provide a name for the transition (For example: “Block”) and select “Blocked” as the destination status.
Example: If you want to allow tickets to be blocked when they are in the “In Progress” status, create a transition from “In Progress” to “Blocked”.
Step 5: Publish the Workflow
Once the changes are done, click on the ‘Publish’ button to save the modified workflow.
Conclusion
And there you have it – a simple way to block a Jira ticket. By incorporating a “Blocked” status in your Jira workflow, you can effectively highlight and manage the tickets that cannot be progressed. It’s a small feature, but one that can greatly enhance the flow and visibility of work within your team.