How to set up the "Comments" field as mandatory when changing fields such as Priority

Summary

Currently, there are no options in JSM (Jira Service Management) to make Comments mandatory, which is crucial for understanding the reasoning/context for scenarios such as when an incident ticket's priority is upgraded/downgraded.

Solution

Use the following combination to require a comment when the Priority field is changed:

• A transition screen that contains the Priority field and Comment field.

• An Advanced Issue Workflow validator that requires the Comment field for the transition.

• Automation that reverts a Priority change made in the Work item view and comments on the associated ticket.

The transition is the supported route in this example: the user edits the Priority field through the transition screen, where the Comment field is required.

Transition screen

Navigate to Work items > Screens, then create a new screen or edit an existing one. Add the Priority field and the Comment field. The Comment field must be available on the transition screen.

Associate the screen with the relevant transition:

The following steps apply to workflows using the old editor.

1. Go to Space Settings > Workflows.

2. Click the Edit workflow to edit the relevant workflow.

3. Select Diagram, then select the relevant transition.

4. Click Edit, select the screen that was created or modified, and save.

Advanced Issue Workflow

The following steps apply to workflows using the old editor.

This is where you will configure the Validator for a given transition. You may need to repeat these steps for other transitions if there are other statuses that would allow agents to make changes to Jira fields.

1. Go to Space Settings > Workflows.

2. Click the Edit workflow to edit the relevant workflow.

3. Select the relevant transition and open the Validators tab.

4. Click Add validator and select Field Required Validator.

5. In the fields required for this transition, select Comment.

If other transitions allow agents to modify Jira fields, repeat this validator configuration for those transitions.

Automation

Scope the rule to suit your needs: The example automation is generic and applies to a wide range of issues. Add further conditioning or scoping as needed.

• Trigger — Field value changed

• Action #1 — Edit issue: use {{fieldChange.from}}.

• Action #2 — Comment on issue: use [~accountID:{{initiator.accountID}}] to mention the user.

Example comment:

Hi [~accountID:{{initiator.accountID}}], the value for the Priority field has been reverted. Please edit this field via the transition screen and add a brief comment for the change.

After configuring the rule, publish and enable it.

The automation reverts the change and adds this comment to the associated ticket, while the transition screen and validator require the user to provide a Comment when changing Priority through the transition.