Here’s How You Can Automatically Add Checklists To Jira Work Items in Different Ways

Having your ToDo list available every time a new work item (issue) is created in Jira is quite a boon in terms of saving time and keeping everyone on the same page. And while Jira does not have checklist functionality by default, you can use a 3rd party solution to automate your Jira ticket workflow.

Main Use Cases: When Should You Automate Checklists in Jira?

Many tasks have repetitive requirements. Filling each of them with content and context one by one is hardly a good use of anyone’s time. However, having checklists in Jira can greatly benefit your flow. Here are several common use cases for adding checklists automatically. 

Definition of Done

Having a Definition of Done in every Jira ticket by default is very useful. It ensures that the development and QA teams are on the same page when it comes to closing the work item or moving it to the next status.

Definition of Ready

The same can be said about the Definition of Ready or DoR in Jira. A well-structured checklist will ensure that the ticket includes the information and context on a variety of crucial elements, such as:

• The bugs have reproduction steps
• The design is ready
• A work item is estimated

And the features have acceptance criteria.

Code Review 

As with all recurring tasks, it’s useful to have an action plan that helps you complete all the QA steps. With automation, a Code Review checklist can be added to a Jira ticket once it’s transferred from In Progress to In Testing. As a result, QAs have the ready ToDo list exactly when they need it and where they need it.

Onboarding and offboarding

Using automation with checklists has many applications for the recruiting and HR teams. For example, an Onboarding Checklist Template can guide new hires through all the standard steps they need to complete. This can include logging into their corporate email, reading company guides, or linking their GitHub. 

This ensures effective onboarding while reducing the need for external guidance. You can set up a rule that will add the onboarding checklist to all the tasks that mention “Onboarding” in their summary. The same goes for offboarding and other activities, such as recruiting or position posting.

Business travel

Organizing business trips involves multiple steps and requirements, from booking flights to submitting documents for a visa. Keeping track of everything can be challenging, especially when planning group trips. A reusable Business Travel Checklist makes this task easier. It also helps you prepare everything according to company policies, such as the budget approval flow.

Payments and approvals

Adding checklists to Jira work items automatically is helpful for a wide range of financial tasks. This includes Invoice Approval Checklists, vendor payment templates, and payroll checklists. With Smart Checklist, you can mark specific checklist items as mandatory, which helps you manage approvals and focus on the most important steps. 

There’s a multitude of other use cases where generating a checklist automatically adds a lot to your Jira ticket workflow. This encompasses marketing, procurement, sales, customer service, and beyond. Basically, every task that is repetitive by nature and has multiple important steps is a prime candidate for automation. 

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How to Automatically Add Checklists to Jira Tickets in 3 Steps

Jira doesn’t have such functionality out of the box. Its native checklists (Jira Action Items), among other limitations, can’t be used with automation. However, you can automatically add checklists to Jira tasks with the help of third-party solutions. Let’s see how this can be done with Smart Checklist for Jira by Titan Apps.

1. Create a new checklist. Install Smart Checklist for Jira from the Atlassian Marketplace. Then, write or paste your checklist in the Smart Checklist section of your work item. Use the Markdown editor to add headers, deadlines, bulleted lists, adjust formatting, or tag team members. You can also set custom statuses for individual checklist items.
2. Save your checklist as a template. To reuse your checklist with automation, you need to save it as a template first. You can have as many different templates as you need. Open the Smart Checklist menu (the three dots in the upper right corner) and save your checklist as a template, as shown in the image below.
3. Select the work type for auto-adding your checklist. Smart Checklist has in-built functionality that allows you to automatically add checklists to the specified work type. For example, you can create a Test Case work type and automatically add a Test Review Checklist to all work items of this type. Open the three-dot menu again and select Manage Templates. Find your template on the list and expand it. Then, select the work type you need from the menu on the right. 

Please note that these changes will only be applied to new issues (work items) – those that are created after setting up this automation. However, you still can add your template manually to existing issues or set up a native Automation for Jira with your checklist template.

How to Assign Checklists Based on Complex Conditions With Jira Automation

Smart Checklist is integrated with Automation for Jira. This means you can apply checklist templates based on a variety of triggers, such as work item field value or workflow transition.

Want to automatically add checklists to Jira based on more criteria (other than work type)? Then, use your Smart Checklist template together with Automation for Jira.

For example, this can be a rule that checks if a task has the word “Onboarding” in its summary. If so, it adds an Onboarding Checklist automatically. Another example: when a story transfers from ToDo to In Progress, a Definition of Done checklist is added.

Here’s how to set up a rule that includes a smart checklist template.

1. Create a checklist and save it as a template. Steps 1-2 in the section above describe in detail how you can do this with Smart Checklist.
2. Set the trigger and action. Navigate to Project Settings -> Automation -> Create Rule. Then, select a trigger and specify your conditions. A trigger can be Work Item Created (issue created), Work Item Transitioned, and so on. As an action, choose Edit work item fields -> Checklists:
3. Fill in the value field using the information from the table below. This enables the rule to use your checklist template.

Choose fields to set	Checklists
If you want to append the template to the Smart Checklist	{{issue.properties.”com.railsware.SmartChecklist.checklist”}}{{project.properties.”com.railsware.SmartChecklist.templateId.<Template_ID>”}}
If you want to replace the Smart Checklist with the template	{{project.properties.”com.railsware.SmartChecklist.templateId.<Template_ID>”}}

Find and copy your Template ID. The text you pasted in the Checklists value field contains a placeholder, <Template_ID>. You need to replace it with the actual ID. To find it, open a work item and click the 3-dot menu of the Smart Checklist section. Then, select Manage Templates and expand the specific checklist template you need. The Template ID is to the right of the Name box.

Once you have it, add the ID to the description. Then, name and save your automation rule. It’s also useful to validate it before enabling. 

With a rule like this one, you can automatically add checklists to Jira tasks based on your custom requirements. Learn more about these deeper levels of automation in our Knowledge Base. 

Additionally, it’s possible to mark some checklist items as mandatory. Then, you can block the work item transition to Done unless these mandatory items are completed. 

Or, in case with the Definition of Done, you may want to make completing ALL checklist items obligatory before moving a Jira task to Done or In Testing. All this can be achieved with the help of a workflow validator. For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to Add a Workflow Validator. 

How to Automatically Add Checklists to Jira Tasks If You Export Them From Other Apps

As I mentioned before, you can simply copy and paste a checklist from an external source like Slack, Skype, or Email into the Markdown editor. This can help your teams share checklists regardless of the communication channel they are using. But what if you already have an actionable checklist in a different Project Management tool like Trello?

You can use Smart Checklist Exporter, which will extract and then automatically add checklists to Jira.Once you have installed the exporter, open the Trello card with the checklist you need. Click on the “Export Checklists” button under the power-ups menu, copy the items, and paste them into Jira. 

This will work perfectly well if you are looking to copy one or several checklists from Trello. Please take a look at this Trello and Jira integration guide if you’d like to migrate your entire board. 

Additionally, you can export checklists from Elements Checklist, My ToDo, and Checklist for Jira Enterprise and import them to Smart Checklist for Jira.

FAQs on How to Automatically Add Checklists to Jira Tickets

How to create a checklist template in Jira Cloud?

By default, Jira doesn’t have such a feature as checklist templates. However, you can easily install a checklist app like Smart Checklist. It allows you to create feature-rich issue checklists, save them as templates, and add them automatically to the selected work types (Jira issue types). The app is available for Jira Cloud, Jira Server, and Jira Data Center, plus there’s a 30-day free trial. 

How to create a checklist template in Jira Data Center?

Smart Checklist for Jira Data Center allows you to easily add default checklists to work items. They can be project-based or global checklists that apply to the whole Jira instance. In Jira Data Center, you can also set extended conditions for adding checklists automatically. For example, when the work type is “Story” and the “Components” field is not empty. Moreover, you can add multiple checklists to a work item. 

You may need to have the administrator permissions to install the app. For step-by-step instructions, please see our Checklist Guide for Jira Data Center. 

TL;DR: How to Automatically Add Checklists to Jira Tickets?

1. Install Smart Checklist for Jira
2. Use it to add a checklist to a Jira work item
3. Save your checklist as a template
4. Select the work item type to which you want to add the checklist automatically
5. (Optional) Add the checklist template to an automation for Jira rule

Can I Automatically Add Native Jira Checklists?

No. Native Jira checklists, also called Jira action items, can’t be used with Automation for Jira. They also don’t support creating templates. For automation purposes, you will need to use a third-party checklist add-on.

The Benefits of Checklist Automation in Jira

Using checklists allows you to document repetitive processes, save time, and boost efficiency. It promotes consistency and transparency. Adding checklists to Jira automatically takes this to the next level and helps you further streamline your team’s work in Jira.

Here are some of the benefits you get if you automatically add checklists to Jira:

• No need to reinvent recurring steps from scratch
• Faster task creation, no need to search for additional instructions
• Allows you to document what works best and reuse this approach
• Keeps your best practices alive by bringing them directly to Jira tasks
• Helps your team work with standard requirements and maintain quality
• Minimizes errors in recurring tasks
• Improves transparency and traceability thanks to checklist statuses
• Easier onboarding for new team members as processes are documented step-by-step 
• Important checklists are added automatically right when they are needed

All this makes assigning checklists automatically extremely beneficial. I hope this guide will help you set up automation that works best for your team!

Would you like more tips for working in Jira more effectively?

• Here’s how you can design a Jira product roadmap
• Learn more about Jira best practices for agile project management
• Plan sprints in Jira more effectively 

Article by Oleksandr Siryi