Permissions: what level to edit workflows?

[Tyler Andrews]

I am currently a project administrator (not the over-all admin). Is the ability to edit workflows restricted to only the over-all administrators?

[Marian Finch · Accepted solution]

Hey Tyler,

In order to edit workflows you would need to have the JIRA Administrators global permission. The Administer Projects permission allows you to edit project role membership, project components, project versions and some project details ('Project Name', 'URL', 'Project Lead', 'Project Description') - (see our doc on Managing Project Permissions for more information). Feel free to email sales@atlassian.com and ask for Marian if you have any additional questions :)

[David Putter]

Hi @Marian Finch is this answer still valid for the latest version of JIRA? 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

No, it's not, the post is almost 5 years old.

To edit a workflow, you must be:

• An administrator.
• If you have Jira Software, then an admin can "simplify" the workflow, and board admins can then edit it to some extent.
• If you are a project admin, and have Jira 7.3 or above, and your workflow is only used by your project, then you can also make some limited edits to it
• If you have Jira 7.4+, the right to edit the workflow (if it is limited to one project) now becomes a permission setting for the full admins to set if they want.

[Steve Craig]

And, if you are using cloud JIRA, you're currently (Oct 13, 2017) out-of-luck.  Nothing I have seen enables Project Admin-role people to edit their workflows, which is a disappointment.

[Lucas Germani]

@Nic Brough -Adaptavist-, correct me if i got it wrong, at latest JIRA version we can give for example to a Project Lead the permission to edit workflow for that project?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, as mentioned above.

[Yazan Hijji]

@Nic Brough -Adaptavist- - How about cloud JIRA these days? would I still be out-of-luck as it was the case with @Steve Craig a few months ago ? I hope not (fingers crossed), please let me know

[Jack Brickey]

@Yazan Hijji, please read here for available permissions

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Server only so far

[Yazan Hijji]

Ok got it :( , thanks!

[Laurens Pluijmaekers]

2019 and Atlassian still does not want Jira Cloud to scale for anything more than one-trick-poney companies, without having to rely on Jira administrators.

[Milan Santosi]

What you mean you don't do Jira-administration "on the side", lol.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Marian is right for plain Jira, but you've used "greenhopper" as well. IF your system adminstrators set the "simplified workflow" flag on your project, then you'll be able to define your own workflow by setting columns as a project administrator.

[naresh veeragoni]

but we are losing the ability to have screens that captures values during the transitions. besides there are known issues as per the documentation

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Correct. Simplified workflow IS simplified - no transistion screens etc. That's the point, it's supposed to be more simple.

I'm not sure what you mean by "known issues"?

[naresh veeragoni]

I was referring to https://confluence.atlassian.com/display/GHKB/Unable+to+set+issues+to+Resolved+using+Greenhopper+Simplified+Workflow.

I just wish the JIRA workflow would be more preferable to be able to accessed by a project lead. As a matter of fact, Project Admins should be able to perform all of the admin tasks for that particular project without been given with a global admin access as that would be exposing everything and risky as I have recently seen that one of the admin has deleted an important project altogether may be by mistake.. but that cost my precious time to figure out what happened and eventually restore from backup, the sad part is I cannot trace who did that since the audit log is not there by design for administrative events. I tried searching the logs with no luck.

[naresh veeragoni]

I was referring to https://confluence.atlassian.com/display/GHKB/Unable+to+set+issues+to+Resolved+using+Greenhopper+Simplified+Workflow.

I just wish the JIRA workflow would be more preferable to be able to accessible by a project lead. As a matter of fact, Project Admins should be able to perform all of the admin tasks for that particular project without been given with a global admin access as that would be exposing everything and risky as I have recently seen that one of the admin has deleted an important project altogether may be by mistake.. but that cost my precious time to figure out what happened and eventually restore from backup, the sad part is I cannot trace who did that since the audit log is not there by design for administrative events. I tried searching the logs with no luck.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

That issue is fixed in later versions.

There's a request outstanding for more granular permissions, and Atlassian are looking at it. Sadly, it's not as simple as it looks, both in terms of code and logic - your definition of "admin tasks for a project" could well be very different for another user. But it is in progress, rather than parked with "not in the next year"

[Steve Craig]

I would love to see a status update on this item from 2013.  In 2017, with Cloud Jira, do we still need to give away super-admin privs to people if we only want them to be able to modify workflows? @Nic Brough -Adaptavist- and @Marian Finch  Greenhopper is not an option for us, thanks!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It hasn't been Greenhopper for years.  It's JIRA Software now.

JIRA 7.3 gives you another option alongside JIRA Software's "simplified workflow".  Project admins can make limited edits to a workflow IF that workflow is not shared with other projects. 

7.4 added a specific permission for allowing it because most of the user-base demanded the ability to turn it off before the project admins made a mess with it!

[Steve Craig]

Hurray!  Thanks for the quick reply @Nic Brough -Adaptavist-!  How do i tell if my Cloud Jira is version one-of-those-you-mentioned, because this doesnt sound anything like 7.3 or 7.4:

License Information for JIRA

JIRA v1001.0.0-SNAPSHOT

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Cloud has diverged from Server and uses a different numbering scheme.  It is "on the latest version" though, generally ahead of Server.  I don't know if it has that function actually.  Have a look at a permission scheme to see if there is an "advanced admin" option.

[Steve Craig]

I've been looking around now for a little while, and it certainly appears to me that my version of CloudJira does not contain the ability to delegate workflow editing to Project Administrators.

I'd love to hear an offical response from Atlassian as to where this is on the cloud jira roadmap so that I can appropriately set my client's expectations.

[Arturas Kuznecovas]

Hi,

+1 to this, we are using Cloud Jira and i cant find a way to delegate workflow edit permission to project admins.

This feels very strange, project admins should be able to control everything inside his project, fells like a gap in current system.

Any update on this would be great, will this capability be implemented in near future?

Thanks,

[Yazan Hijji]

I believe the "next-gen" project type introduced recently solves this issue..you might need to check that one @Arturas Kuznecovas.. still, I would love to have the feature for existing and regular project types.

[Arturas Kuznecovas]

Hi,

I have tried next gen project. TBH currently it is very lacking in features. Very basic.

We would like to use clasic templates for now, until next gen is developed.

[Yazan Hijji]

Fair enough @Arturas Kuznecovas

[Mike Bartsch]

When will it be possible in Jira Cloud for project admins to edit their workflows?

[Jack Brickey]

IMO this will never be allowed. Next-gen project types are sort of the 'answer' here by doing away w/ workflows altogether.

[Jack Brickey]

I am closing this thread down due to age. The product has change quite a bit since 2013. Please, feel free to open a new question or discussion on this or similar topic.