How to sync Jira workflows from different projects

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Working across multiple Jira projects can quickly get messy when each one has its own way of managing work. Over time, you might notice that workflows have drifted apart: statuses have different names, transitions don’t match, and reports become harder to trust.

If this sounds familiar, it’s time to think about Jira sync, keeping workflows aligned so your processes remain consistent across different teams.

In this post, we’ll look at why syncing workflows is important, the challenges you might face, and how to do it effectively.

We’ll also walk you through how you can do it with Elements Copy & Sync, a marketplace app that makes cross-project, or even cross-instance, workflow consistency much easier.

Why syncing workflows matters

In Jira, workflows define the lifecycle of your issues: the steps they move through, the transitions allowed, and any rules or conditions applied along the way.

When workflows differ between teams, you may run into:

• Inconsistent processes :The same type of work is tracked differently in each area.

• Reporting headaches: Dashboards and filters become unreliable because steps don’t match.

• Automation failures: Rules break when a step or transition is missing in one place.

• Team friction: Collaborating across groups is harder when everyone uses a different process.

A Jira workflow sync approach helps avoid these problems by ensuring that every team works with the same, or at least compatible, workflows.

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How Jira handles workflows

A quick refresher:

• Workflows are linked to workflow schemes.

• A workflow scheme is assigned to a project, defining which workflows each issue type uses.

 

Discover more about Jira workflows

Jira doesn’t have a native “sync” button for workflows. If you want them to stay aligned, you need to either share workflow schemes, manually update each workflow, or use a tool that can synchronize them for you.

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Native options for workflow synchronization in Jira

Before we look at the app-based solution, here are the common native approaches:

1. Shared workflow schemes

If all your work can follow the same process, you can assign them to a shared workflow scheme.

Pros: One source of truth; changes apply everywhere instantly.
Cons: Not flexible if different teams need small variations.

2. Manual copying

You can create a base workflow and copy it for each case.

Pros: Allows slight customization for each team.
Cons: Any updates must be made manually in every copy, no real “sync.”

Both options work, but they can be time-consuming or too rigid, especially if you need to keep multiple workflows aligned but still allow for some differences.

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How to sync workflows with Elements Copy & Sync

With Elements Copy & Sync, you can automatically keep related issues aligned between different Jira environments by configuring workflow mappings inside a recipe.

Here’s how it works in practice:

1. Open your recipe in the Elements Copy & Sync administration and go to the Workflows tab.

2. Select the Source workflow: the workflow used by the project where the change will originate.

3. Select the Target workflow: the workflow used by the linked or copied issue should be updated automatically.

4. Click Add mapping to connect the two workflows.

5. In the mapping table, match each step in the source workflow to the equivalent step in the target workflow. You can map in both directions, so updates in either issue can trigger a change in the other. You can also choose the option “do nothing” for some statuses if don’t want them to impact the linked issue status.

6. (Optional) Enable Apply sync on issue creation to ensure the target issue is already having the right status when created, or Propagate status update if you want changes made by the recipe to trigger further workflow synchronizations.

👉 Read more on how to synchronize Jira statuses

Once configured, whenever a mapped step changes in one team’s workflow, Elements Copy & Sync will automatically transition the linked issue in the other to the matching step, even if the user doesn’t have “Transition Issues” permission there (the app does it using its own permissions).

This setup is ideal for keeping related issues in sync between teams, such as when a support ticket in Jira Service Management is escalated to a software development environment and you want both to reflect the same progress without manual updates.

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Benefits of using Elements Copy & Sync

• No manual updates: Changes in one area are instantly reflected in another.

• Cross-team alignment: Teams can work in their own space but still follow the same process flow.

• Reliable reporting: Consistent steps mean cleaner, more accurate dashboards and filters.

• Flexible setup: You can choose which steps and fields to sync, so each team keeps the flexibility they need.

• Better collaboration: Linked issues always reflect the same progress, reducing confusion.

For organizations juggling multiple teams or working on connected issues, this approach combines the best of both worlds: consistency without losing autonomy.

Discover Elements Copy & Sync features

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Best practices for Jira sync between projects

Whichever approach you take, keep these tips in mind:

1. Audit first: List all steps and transitions currently in use, and identify the overlaps and differences.

2. Agree on a standard: Involve project leads and key users early to decide which workflow elements should be standardized.

3. Test before rolling out: Use a staging environment to make sure syncing behaves as expected.

4. Document the new process: Make it easy for team members to understand the synced workflow.

5. Review regularly: Processes evolve; schedule periodic checks to keep workflows aligned.

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Example in action

Let’s say your software development team and your QA team work in separate Jira environments. The development team uses “In Progress,” “In Review,” and “Done,” while QA uses “Ready for Test,” “Testing,” and “Tested.”

Without Jira sync, a developer might move an issue to “In Review” while QA is still waiting for it to appear in their backlog.

With Elements Copy & Sync:

• When the developer transitions an issue to “In Review,” the linked QA issue is automatically moved to “Ready for Test.”

• Both teams see consistent progress in their own terms.

• Reports accurately reflect the real progress of work across both environments.

Read how to sync Jira issues across projects and instances

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Final thoughts

Keeping workflows consistent across Jira workspaces is crucial for smooth collaboration, accurate reporting, and reliable automation.

While Jira’s native options, shared workflow schemes or manual copying, can work in some cases, they often fall short when you need both flexibility and consistency. That’s where Elements Copy & Sync shines: it gives you the ability to sync Jira workflows automatically, without forcing teams into a one-size-fits-all process.

If you want to save time, reduce errors, and keep your Jira workflows aligned, give Elements Copy & Sync a try. You can find it on the Atlassian Marketplace and start syncing your workflows today.