Sprint cannot be completed as there are incomplete subtasks on the following issues

[Syngenta Requests]

Hi all,

I've checked all previous answers to this question but it didn't help.

We have an issue in Ready for UAT status and underneath it 2 sub-tasks(both of status Done).

When clicking complete sprint, appears the message

Complete Sprint: Sprint A2RAP 10May-21May 2021

Sprint cannot be completed as there are incomplete subtasks on the following issues:

• A2RAP-274

Although the 2 subtasks ore of status Done.

1- The board filter query filters on issues of type Story, Epic

2- When adding the Done column as the last column, the issue is not solved

When checking the board filter query to also include subtasks this does not solve the issue

Please advise

Best Regards,

Shaimaa

[John Funk · Accepted solution]

Hi Syngenta - are the issues in the last column on the board? 

[Syngenta Requests]

Hi John,

The issue in the sprint I want to complete (A2RAP-274) is on the last column on the board(Ready for UAT) with two subtasks inside it having status Done.

When I create a column Done, this is not useful because there is no list of Done issues to drag to. 

1- Should I adjust the board filter query, which currently retrieves issue types Epic and Story, to also include subtasks?

2- If yes, shall I add the Done column to the last column of the board instead of Ready for UAT?

Best,

Shaimaa

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, you must make sure that your stories and all of their sub-tasks are all in the last column on the board (it is usually called "done", but it doesn't have to be named that).  That also means that the issues have to be shown on the board (the filter needs to select for them)

If you don't want to see the sub-tasks on the board most of the time (you're marking them done in ways other than a board drag and drop), a quick filter for "issuetype in standardIssueTypes()" is really helpful

[Syngenta Requests]

Yes but the sub-tasks are inherently in the last column as long as its main parent issue is there.

Here my parent issue is having status Ready for UAT which is the last column on board and its 2 subtasks have status Done(both parent issue and subtasks have different workflows).

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

No, they're not "inherently in the last column", for several reasons, the two main ones being:

• One of the reasons for using sub-tasks is having bits of a story that can be in different status (or even using different workflows to the parent).  Simple example - Story = "write web-app", sub-task 1 "front end", sub-task 2, "back end".  While the story is in-progress, we may not have started either sub-task 1 or sub-task 2, so they are still "open".  As we progress with them, they become "in dev", then "done".  The story remains "in progress"
• If your board filter does not select sub-tasks for display, then they cannot be in the last column - they're not on the board, so they can't be in the column

Now you've told us where your issues are (thanks for volunteering that, you saw what my next question was going to be! ), we can give you a complete answer:

Your board needs to include the sub-tasks in the board filter (it doesn't matter if you hide them with a quick filter, but they need to be on the board), and then to get them "complete" so the warning message goes away, you need to have them in the last column when they are "done".  You can map the status "done" into the last column on the board, or you'll need to alter the workflow so that the sub-tasks can take on the status in the last column.

[Syngenta Requests]

Perfect, Nic! Thank you!

So:

1- Add subtasks to the board filter(Done)

2- Done issues appear and Done column created(Done)

3- Done issues dragged to Done column and made as  the last column in the board(Not yet)

I have a question regarding #3, is this correct?

I will have the main issue "Ready for UAT" and the subtasks "Done" with the board displaying "Done" as the last column so how will the sprint be completed given the main issue is not on the last column of the board?

Got what I mean?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

The issues have to be in the very last column of the board (the name of the column does not matter).  If the main issue is not in the last column, then no, it is not "done" and will go over into the next sprint, or to backlog.  But you will be able to complete your sprint.

[Syngenta Requests]

The issue is already in the very last column of the board and when trying to complete the sprint, I am told that 1 issue is incomplete asking me as you said if I want it to go over to the next sprint or to the backlog.

I don't want that. I want it to be completed like any normal active sprints get successfully completed by just clicking complete sprint.

So, what's the use of having subtasks in the board filter if we are not going to put them in the last column? 

Your suggestion below:

You can map the status "done" into the last column on the board, or you'll need to alter the workflow so that the sub-tasks can take on the status in the last column.

I can't do that because the sub-task has a different workflow(the basic to-do-> in progress-> done) while the parent issue with the status "Ready for UAT" that I'm trying to complete has a customized workflow.

I really appreciate your prompt responses btw :) Thank you!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

You cannot complete an issue if it has sub-tasks that are not done.

An issue of any type can only be done if it is on the board and in the last column.

>So, what's the use of having subtasks in the board filter if we are not going to put them in the last column? 

There isn't any use, because you are creating a paradox - issues that are done that are not done at the same time.   

You need to be putting them in the last column to tell Jira that they are done.

To do that, you'll need to get your sub-tasks end status mapped into the last column on the board, either by mapping it directly, or by altering the workflow such that sub-task's end status is one that is already mapped in there.

[Syngenta Requests]

Ok, got it!

It has status done but not considered done until it's mapped to the last column on board. And it can't be mapped to the last column on the board "Ready for UAT", which is the status of its parent issue, because there's no such status name in the subtasks' workflow.

One more thing,

When the popup tells me 1 issue is done, 1 issue is incomplete, It's not referring to the two subtasks because both have the same status Done and because the same message says that the issues referred here are not subtasks

So how do I figure out the incomplete issue? It couldn't be the parent issue itself either because it says 1 issue done, 1 issue incomplete by trying to complete this 1 issue.

The below image clarifies what I mean:

(Subtasks are not included in the total(s) above)

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

>It has status done but not considered done until it's mapped to the last column on board. And it can't be mapped to the last column on the board "Ready for UAT", which is the status of its parent issue, because there's no such status name in the subtasks' workflow.

That is completely wrong.  I think you are confusing status, columns and the meaning of "done".  I'll try to simplify by using different words.

For an issue to be done (or complete, or whatever you want to call it that gives you the "this issue is incomplete" ), the issue, and all its subtasks, must be in the last column of the board.

Let's say your stories have a workflow which is Aardvark -> Blobby -> Cat (done).  And your sub-tasks have a workflow of Xylem -> Youth -> Zebra (done).

Your board can have whatever columns you want it to, but the last column on the board must contain Cat and Zebra.

At the moment, you are not mapping Zebra into the last column, so you cannot have done sub-tasks.  Either map it into the column, or change the workflow so that instead of Zebra, the end status is Cat.

There is no way of doing "complete while not being complete" here, you need to fix your process (workflow) or your board representation of it.

[Syngenta Requests]

Very grateful for your detailed explanation, Nic!

As a Jira admin, I asked our user to add subtasks to the board filter and he mentioned this helped him complete the sprint.

I had no access to the board to check if he also mapped the Done issues to the last column but it works for now so probably he did.

Do you have further resources I can check to solidify my understanding? Other than community Q/A?

I want to mark your answer as accepted but I can't see Accept answer before your name probably because you replied to John, thank you again !!

[Trudy Claspill]

Do the subtask issue have a value in their Resolution field?

[Syngenta Requests]

No, but I read that this is not the cause of the issue.

Many sprints were completed successfully with Resolution Unresolved