How indirect synchronization of the Jira "Why" field works for Jira Align's Jira Connector

Summary

This article explains how changes in Jira Align's work item hierarchy indirectly trigger synchronization of the "Why" field to associated Jira epics.

Solution

Trigger: The Jira connector performs indirect synchronization of the "Why" field whenever a change occurs in the Jira Align hierarchy of a feature (which corresponds to a Jira epic). This can happen even if the feature itself remains unchanged.

Affected Hierarchy: The Jira Align hierarchy relevant to this synchronization is:

• Theme

• Epic

• Capability

• Feature (mapped to Jira Epic)

Any modification to a Theme, Epic, or Capability will trigger an indirect sync of the "Why" field for all associated Features (Jira epics) down the hierarchy, regardless of the Feature's status (even if accepted).

Mechanism: The Jira connector monitors the LastUpdateDate in the following Jira Align database tables:

• tblAgileFeatureGroup (for Capabilities and Epics)

• tblAgileTheme (for Themes)

When a change occurs in the hierarchy, the LastUpdateDate is updated in the relevant table. The connector detects this change during its next synchronization cycle and updates the corresponding Jira epic's "Why" field. This update happens even if the only change was to a Theme's description or other seemingly unrelated fields.

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Check the Audit Log: To understand why a Jira epic's "Why" field was updated, examine the audit logs in Jira Align for changes to the parent/grandparent work items (Theme, Epic, and Capability) of the affected Feature. Look for updates around the time the change in Jira was observed.

2. Review Related Hierarchy Items: Inspect the Theme, Epic, and Capability associated with the Jira epic for any modifications.