Automation to Schedule Epic Cloning with Checklist

[Jason Weddell]

I am trying to set up automation that will
1. On a set, recurring time

2. clone a designated epic

3. with a checklist

Currently, when I go to set up the automation, it allows me to select "Clone Issue", but does not have a field to designate the issue I wish to clone. The text says "Clone current issue", but I do not know how to change this to specify a designated epic.

Example:

I created an Epic-111 in November of 2022. 

On November 1, 2023, I want the automation to automatically create a new Epic based on Epic-111, with all of the fields populated as they were on Epic-111, including a designated checklist. I will always want it to clone from Epic-111 every November 1, going forward.

How do I define "Clone current issue" to designate Epic-111?

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Jason Weddell 

Welcome to the community.

In your rule add a JQL to your Schedule trigger to get the issue that you want to clone. Make sure you uncheck the "Only include issues that have changed..." box.

Then use the Clone Current Issue action to clone it.

[Jason Weddell]

Excellent! One issue solved, one to go! Thank you! :)

[Mark Segall]

Hi @Jason Weddell and welcome to the community!

Can you please provide more detail on "including a designated checklist"?  Is this a list of tasks within the Epic?  If so, how many tasks?

It's possible to establish automation, but if you'll run into constraints depending upon how many issues need to be cloned with the Epic.  If it's just the Epic and checklist is a custom add-on, then it should be straightforward to set up the rule:

• TRIGGER: Scheduled (your desired schedule)
  You'll want a JQL like this for the trigger
  
  • Key = ABC-123
• ACTION: Clone Issue
  By default it will copy the existing issue

[Jason Weddell]

Hey! Thanks for your quick reply.

We have a checklist template we can load into an issue when we click the "Checklists" button on the issue. When the checklist section loads, there are three dots we can click to prompt a menu, from which we select "load templates" and select the checklist we need from a subsequent pop-up menu. That is the designated checklist to which I refer.

I was able to set up a TRIGGER for Schedule, but the JQL key demanded only ALPHA characters and I apparently way over-thought the smart value settings. I had created a new component, assigned it to the epic I wanted to clone, and then triggered the automation.

The Epic cloned, but the designated checklist still had to be added manually. The available Checklist fields are configured to "copy from current". I added them all just to see which one was which, but none of them seem to auto-generate that checklist. See below:

[Mark Segall]

When you clone an issue, it will clone all of the standard/custom fields, but it looks like you're using marketplace app that stores checklists as some other type of object.