What are Jira workflows? Editor, rules, and AI agents
Key takeaways
A Jira workflow is the set of statuses, transitions, and rules a work item passes through from creation to done.
The workflow editor puts the diagram, rules, and publish controls in one screen instead of several.
You can delegate work to an agent to a work item from a specific workflow transition.
The Rovo workflow skill is invoked with
/manage-jira-workflowsin Rovo Chat within the workflow builder interface, where admins can create and edit workflows using natural language.A workflow scheme connects your workflows to specific work types and can be reused across projects.
A Jira workflow is the process your team follows to move a work item from open to done. It is made up of three parts: statuses, transitions, and, in company-managed projects, a resolution.
Most teams model their workflow after a process they already use, so a workflow can be as simple as three statuses or as detailed as a multi-stage review process involving several teams.
Jira workflows are composed of 3 unique elements:
Status: A status shows where a work item currently sits in the workflow. Open, In Progress, In Review, Blocked, and Done are common examples, though you can name statuses to match how your team actually talks about work.
Transition: A transition moves a work item from one status to another, and it only runs in one direction. If your team needs a work item to move backward and forward between two statuses, for example from In Review back to In Progress, you need two separate transitions, one for each direction.
Resolution: A resolution marks a work item as closed and records why, using values like Done, Won't Do, or Duplicate. Resolutions are available in company-managed projects and give you a clean way to report on how work actually finished, not just where it stopped.
What is a workflow scheme?
A workflow scheme is the set of associations between your workflows and your work types, similar to how a permission scheme maps permissions to roles. Every project needs at least one, and the same scheme can apply across multiple spaces.
Consider the following use case:
A development team runs a single Jira space, with separate workflows for bugs, stories, and tasks.
Bugs move through statuses like “Triaged” and “Fixed”, stories move through “Design WIP” and “Ready for development”, and tasks follow a simple “To do”, “In progress”, “Done” path.
When that team splits into two, the second space can reuse the same workflow scheme. Both teams stay focused on their own board, and their manager still gets one consistent view across both spaces, because the underlying workflow scheme has not changed.
Workflow schemes are currently available in company-managed spaces.
What is the Jira workflow editor?
The workflow editor is a single screen for building, editing, and publishing a workflow. Instead of jumping between separate pages for statuses, transitions, and rules, you configure all three in one diagram and publish your changes the moment you are ready.
There are several ways to open the workflow editor:
For a company-managed space, select Settings ⚙, then Work items > Workflows. Find the workflow you want to edit, select More actions (•••), and choose Edit.
For a team-managed space, go to Space settings > Work types. Select the work type whose workflow you want to change, then select Edit workflow.
You can also open it from a project’s settings by going to the relevant work type or issue type, selecting More actions (•••), and choosing View and edit workflow.
One screen, four working pieces
The editor is built around a toolbar for adding statuses and transitions, a details panel for editing whatever you select, a diagram you can drag and rearrange, and a relevant spaces list that shows exactly which spaces will be affected before you publish.
Switch between diagram and text
If you would rather scan a workflow as text than trace it on a canvas, a Text and Diagram toggle lets you switch views without losing your place.
Both views edit the same underlying workflow, so a change in one shows up in the other.
Edit active workflows without duplicating them
You can now make several changes to a live workflow without copying it first. Delete a status directly, and Jira walks you through moving any work items off it.
Add a new outgoing transition to a status that does not already have one. Select Update workflow to publish instantly, or Discard to return to the workflow's previous state.
Same rule categories, one panel
If you built workflows in the old editor, the rule categories have not changed: conditions, screen configuration, validators, and post-functions. What is different is where you find them.
Select a transition, and its rules open in the same details panel as everything else, instead of a separate configuration screen.
How does a Jira workflow relate to your board?
Your workflow defines the path a work item takes. Your board is where you watch that path happen. Jira admins typically map each board column to a step in the workflow, so moving a card across the board is the same action as running a transition behind the scenes.
Teams with more complex workflows often map several statuses to a single column, so the board stays simple to read even when the underlying workflow has more steps. That keeps the board useful for the whole team without hiding the detail your workflow needs to run correctly.
How do workflow rules compare to Jira automation?
Workflow rules and Jira Automation solve similar problems in different places. A workflow rule, like a condition on a transition, lives inside that one workflow and applies wherever the workflow is used.
An automation rule can trigger from almost anything, run across projects, and now includes actions like calling a Rovo agent, so the two work best together rather than as a choice between one or the other.
As a general guide, workflow rules take more effort to set up but are easier to manage at scale once they are in place, since they travel with the workflow scheme.
Automation rules are faster to build and more flexible, but usage limits vary by plan, so check what your edition includes before you lean on automation for high-volume processes.
Assigning agents to a Jira workflow
AI agents can take on workflow-driven work automatically, so teams can hand off repeatable tasks at the exact point they’re needed. In Jira, you can connect an agent to a workflow transition, a board column, or an automation rule depending on how your team wants the handoff to happen.
Trigger an agent from a transition
Open the workflow editor, select a transition, and add a Trigger agent action rule. From then on, every work item that crosses that transition hands off to the agent automatically, whether that means updating a field, posting a comment, or drafting a linked page.
Assign an agent from the board
Alternatively, you can assign an agent directly from a board view. Open the board, select the column’s More actions (•••) menu, and choose the option to assign an agent to that column. Work items moved into the column are then assigned to the selected agent automatically.
This option is currently available only in specific spaces, so you might not see it on every board.
Scale it with automation
For work that follows the same pattern every time, add a Use Rovo agent action to a Jira Automation rule, or set a board column so any work item dragged into it is assigned to a chosen agent automatically.
Conditions and branches keep the agent working only on the issues you intend.
Build workflows faster with the Rovo workflow skill
The Rovo workflow skill is a Rovo capability that helps admins configure Jira workflows with natural-language requests. You can invoke it only from within the workflow builder interface, using /manage-jira-workflows to ask questions about a workflow or request changes.This includes things such as adding a transition, restricting who can move a work item, or explaining a rule. The skill helps create or update the workflow, while you review and publish the changes in Jira.
What the Rovo workflow skill can do today
The skill answers questions about your workflow and its configuration, creates and edits statuses and transitions, and sets up common transition rules from a plain-English request.For example, you can ask it to update a field, restrict who can move a work item, validate a field, assign an issue, or restrict a transition based on a field value.
How to use the Rovo workflow skill
Open the workflow builder interface, open Rovo Chat, and enter /manage-jira-workflows to invoke the Rovo workflow skill. The skill is available only in the workflow builder interface. You can ask questions about a workflow or describe the change you want to make in plain English.Review the proposed changes in Jira and publish them when they are ready. Rovo must be enabled on your site for the skill to be available.
Frequently asked questions about Jira workflows
What is a Jira workflow?
A Jira workflow is the set of statuses, transitions, and rules that define how a work item moves from creation to completion. Every Jira project needs at least one workflow, connected to its work types through a workflow scheme.
How do I edit a Jira workflow?
Open the workflow from Project Settings or Space Settings, then use the new workflow editor to add or change statuses, transitions, and rules. Select Update workflow to publish your changes, or Discard to return to the previous version.
Can I assign an AI agent to a work item in my workflow?
Yes. Agents appear in the assignee field alongside people, can be mentioned in comments, and can be triggered automatically from a specific transition using a Trigger agent action rule.
What is the Rovo workflow skill?
The Rovo workflow skill is a Rovo capability that helps Jira admins understand, create, and update workflows using natural-language requests in Rovo Chat.You can invoke it only from within the workflow builder interface with /manage-jira-workflows, then review and publish the resulting changes in Jira.
Do I need to turn anything on to use agents in a workflow?
Yes. Rovo needs to be enabled on your site before you can use the Rovo workflow skill. The skill is available to users with workflow editing permissions and can be invoked only from within the workflow builder interface.Open Rovo Chat there and enter /manage-jira-workflows to manage workflows.
My current workflow editor doesn’t look the same. Is the new workflow editor available on my Jira plan?
Availability for the new workflow editor can differ by project type and plan. Check Settings, Work items, Workflow on your own site to confirm which editor and features you currently have access to.