Managing Request Reopenings in JSM Cloud After Resolution

Summary

In some scenarios a Jira Admin may not want customers to reply to a closed request after a given amount of days and would prefer them to log a new request on the portal in Jira Service Management.

A workaround for this scenario is creating an automation flow that triggers each time a customer replies to a closed work item and adds a public comment on the work item, asking them to log a new request instead if X number of days has passed since it was closed.

This article applies to Cloud only. If you are on Jira Service Management Data Center, refer to Notify Customers on Replies to Closed Issues in JSM Data Center

Solution

Limit reopening a request using Automation

For this method, you can create a new automation using the template When a customer comments on a closed request → then reopen the request from the automation templates library. Make sure you don't have multiple Flows performing the same actions.

Add another Condition to the flow from the template to validate whether the work item was resolved within the last X days. If it doesn't match the condition, it will add a comment for the Customer, asking them to open a new request. See the steps below:

1. In the automation Templates tab, select When a customer comments on a closed request → then reopen the request.

2. Between the template Flow JQL condition and the transition action of the automation, add an IF/Else condition.

3. Inside the IF: matches branch, add a {{smart values}} condition with the following values:

   First Value: {{now.diff(issue.resolved).days}} Condition: less than Second Value: X (maximum number of days you'd like to allow customers to reopen the request)

4. Drag the existing Transition work item action to nest it inside this branch.

5. Add an ELSE condition branch.

6. Inside this Else branch, add an action Add comment to work item.

7. Configure the message you'd like to post as a comment to prompt the customer to open a new request.

   1. Make sure the Comment visibility is "Share with customer."

   2. You can use smart values to dynamically update the reporter name, key, and other information in the comment.

8. Save the Automation Flow.

Modify the workflow to limit reopening requests

This solution assumes you have a workflow that has a transition that allows your Customers to transition work items from CLOSED to OPEN. You will add a validator to this transition that allows it only if the issue was resolved within the last X days.

1. Go to Space Settings > Request management > Workflows.

2. Find the relevant workflow for the relevant work type, then click the edit workflow.

3. Select the relevant transition (the arrow, not the status), then click Rules > Validate Details > Add Validate Details Rule.

4. Click Validate a Field. Then for each selection, use the following:

   1. Validate That Field: Compares to another date

   2. For this field: Resolved

   3. On Expression tab:

      1. Ensure "Resolved" is: Later than or Same As

      2. Expression: -14d

5. Configure the validator as needed (If you want to allow work items to be reopened only within 15 days from resolution, the condition would be Resolved > -14d), then click Add.

6. Perform steps 3-6 for all relevant transitions.

7. Publish the workflow.

Verification

Test reopening a resolved request both ways:

1. Via a customer comment on the portal within the automation's trigger scope.

   1. Confirm the Automation-based block correctly stops reopening outside the allowed window in the portal case, since the workflow-validator method alone won't catch that path.

2. Directly via the agent-facing workflow transition.