How to Set Up Opsbar Sequence for Test Management in Jira

Overview

In Jira, the Opsbar (Operations Bar) provides quick access to available actions that a user can perform on an issue, such as transitioning it between workflow statuses. In a Test Management workflow, you might have multiple stages of testing such as To Do, In Progress, In Code Review, In UAT/Sandbox, On Hold, and Done.

This article will guide you through setting up a Jira workflow with these statuses, enabling all statuses to be available in all transitions, and ensuring that the Opsbar sequence dynamically reflects all possible actions.

Key Concepts

• Workflow: A series of statuses that an issue can go through in its lifecycle, with transitions between these statuses.
• Opsbar Sequence: A list of actions available to perform on an issue, displayed in the Operations Bar. The sequence shows the possible transitions based on the current status of the issue.
• Test Management Workflow: A series of statuses and transitions that represent the lifecycle of a test issue, from planning and development through to completion.

Statuses in the Test Management Workflow

For this guide, the workflow statuses are:

1. To Do: Represents tasks that need to be started.
2. In Progress: Represents tasks that are currently being worked on.
3. In Code Review: Represents tasks that are in the review phase after development.
4. In UAT/Sandbox: Represents tasks that are being tested in a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) or sandbox environment.
5. On Hold: Represents tasks that are temporarily paused or waiting for external factors.
6. Done: Represents completed tasks that have passed the testing phases.

Creating the Workflow with Unrestricted Transitions

To allow all statuses to transition to any other status in your test management workflow, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create or Edit the Workflow

• Navigate to Jira Administration:
• Go to the Jira Dashboard.
• Click on Jira Settings (gear icon) > Issues > Workflows.
• Create a New Workflow:
• Click on Add Workflow.
• Alternatively, you can edit an existing workflow by clicking the Edit link next to the workflow you want to modify.

Step 2: Define Workflow Statuses

Add the statuses to represent the steps in your test management process:

1. To Do
2. In Progress
3. In Code Review
4. In UAT/Sandbox
5. On Hold
6. Done
7. In the Workflow Designer, click on Add Status to create the necessary statuses.

Step 3: Define Transitions Between All Statuses

To allow all statuses to transition to any other status, you need to create unrestricted transitions. Here’s how you can set the transitions:

• Go to the Workflow Designer and drag lines to create transitions between the statuses.
• Create transitions from each status to every other status, as shown in the following examples:
• To Do → In Progress
• To Do → In Code Review
• To Do → In UAT/Sandbox
• To Do → On Hold
• To Do → Done
• In Progress → To Do
• In Progress → In Code Review
• In Progress → In UAT/Sandbox
• In Progress → On Hold
• In Progress → Done
• Continue this for each status, ensuring that every status has transitions to all other statuses.
• No Conditions or Validators: To allow all transitions, do not add conditions, validators, or post-functions that restrict or define rules for when the transitions should be allowed. This ensures flexibility in moving issues between statuses.

Step 4: Publish the Workflow

1. Once you have defined all the transitions between statuses, click Publish to save the workflow.
2. Make sure the workflow is assigned to the correct issue type (such as Test Issue) in your Jira project.

Step 5: Associate the Workflow with a Project

To enable the workflow in your project:

1. Go to Project Settings > Workflows.
2. Click Edit and associate the newly created or updated workflow with the relevant project.

How the Opsbar Sequence Works

The Opsbar will now display all possible transitions based on the current status of the issue. Since all statuses have unrestricted transitions, every status will have a full set of transitions available.

Here’s an example of what the Opsbar sequence would look like for each status:

Current StatusOpsbar Actions AvailableTransitions AvailableTo DoMove to In Progress, Move to In Code Review, Move to UAT/Sandbox, Move to On Hold, Move to DoneTo “In Progress”, To “In Code Review”, To “In UAT/Sandbox”, To “On Hold”, To “Done”In ProgressMove to To Do, Move to In Code Review, Move to UAT/Sandbox, Move to On Hold, Move to DoneTo “To Do”, To “In Code Review”, To “In UAT/Sandbox”, To “On Hold”, To “Done”In Code ReviewMove to To Do, Move to In Progress, Move to UAT/Sandbox, Move to On Hold, Move to DoneTo “To Do”, To “In Progress”, To “In UAT/Sandbox”, To “On Hold”, To “Done”In UAT/SandboxMove to To Do, Move to In Progress, Move to In Code Review, Move to On Hold, Move to DoneTo “To Do”, To “In Progress”, To “In Code Review”, To “On Hold”, To “Done”On HoldMove to To Do, Move to In Progress, Move to In Code Review, Move to UAT/Sandbox, Move to DoneTo “To Do”, To “In Progress”, To “In Code Review”, To “In UAT/Sandbox”, To “Done”DoneMove to To Do, Move to In Progress, Move to In Code Review, Move to UAT/Sandbox, Move to On HoldTo “To Do”, To “In Progress”, To “In Code Review”, To “In UAT/Sandbox”, To “On Hold”

Why Allow All Transitions Between All Statuses?

Allowing all transitions between all statuses in the workflow provides the following benefits:

• Flexibility: Test cases can be easily moved between any stage without restriction, allowing testers and team members to adjust the workflow based on project needs.
• Simplified Workflow: This setup is ideal in environments where the testing process is dynamic, and teams may need to loop back between stages (e.g., moving back from “In Progress” to “To Do” or from “In UAT/Sandbox” to “On Hold”).
• Clearer Process: The Opsbar will show all possible actions, reducing the need for specific rules and conditions, making it easier for users to navigate through the testing lifecycle.

Testing the Workflow and Opsbar Sequence

1. Create a Test Issue in your Jira project and check the Opsbar.
2. Transition the issue through the different statuses to ensure that the Opsbar provides options for all transitions, regardless of the current status.
3. Confirm that users with the necessary permissions can perform the transitions and that the workflow behaves as expected.

Conclusion

By following the steps in this article, you can configure a Test Management workflow in Jira with unrestricted transitions between statuses. The Opsbar sequence will dynamically reflect all possible actions, giving your team maximum flexibility in managing test cases. This approach is ideal for teams who need to be agile and adjust their test processes frequently without limitations on status transitions.