JIRA - Convert Issue To Subtask

Jira - Convert an Issue to a Sub-task

In Jira, you can convert an existing standard issue into a sub-task, making it a child of another standard issue. This is useful for breaking down work or reorganizing tasks. Here’s how to do it:

Navigate to the Issue: Open the issue you wish to convert into a sub-task. You’ll be on the issue view screen.
Access Conversion Option: Locate the ‘Actions’ menu. This is often represented by a ’…’ (ellipsis) button, typically found in the top-right area of the issue view, near other action buttons. Click this menu.
Select ‘Convert to Sub-task’: From the ‘Actions’ dropdown menu, find and select the ‘Convert to Sub-task’ option. This will initiate a multi-step conversion wizard.
Step 1: Specify Parent Issue and Sub-task Type:

A dialog titled something like ‘Convert Issue to Sub-task: Step 1 of X - Enter parent issue and sub-task issue type’ will appear.
Parent Issue: In the ‘Parent Issue’ field, start typing the issue key (e.g., ‘PROJ-123’) or summary of the standard issue that will become the parent of this new sub-task. Jira will provide suggestions as you type. Select the correct parent issue from the list.
Sub-task Issue Type: If your project has multiple defined sub-task issue types (e.g., ‘Technical Sub-task’, ‘Documentation Sub-task’), select the appropriate one from the dropdown menu. Often, there’s a default ‘Sub-task’ type. If only one sub-task type is available, it might be pre-selected.
Click the ‘Next’ button to proceed.

Step 2: Select New Status (If Required):

This step, often ‘Step 2 of X - Select New Status’, appears if the current status of the issue being converted (e.g., ‘Open’) is not an allowed status for the chosen sub-task issue type within the parent issue’s project workflow.
If prompted, you must select a new, valid status for the sub-task from the provided list. This new status must be an initial or valid status for sub-tasks in that project context.
Click ‘Next’.

Step 3: Update Fields (If Required):

This step, ‘Step 3 of X - Update Fields’, allows you to update any fields on the newly forming sub-task that might require changes or new values due to the conversion (e.g., if certain fields are mandatory for sub-tasks but weren’t on the original issue, or if you want to adjust values).
If all necessary fields can be mapped automatically or require no changes, you might see a message like ‘All fields will be updated automatically’, or this step might be very brief.
Review any presented fields, make necessary changes, and click ‘Next’ or ‘Finish’ (the button label might vary depending on whether it’s the final step).

Confirmation (If Applicable):

Some Jira versions or configurations might present a final confirmation screen summarizing the original values and the new values for the sub-task.
Review the details. If everything is correct, click ‘Finish’ or ‘Convert’ to complete the process.

Conversion Complete: The original issue is now a sub-task. You will typically be redirected to either the parent issue’s view (where the new sub-task is listed in the ‘Sub-tasks’ section) or directly to the newly converted sub-task’s view. The sub-task will prominently display a link to its parent issue (e.g., ‘Parent: [Parent Issue Key]’).

Important Considerations When Converting an Issue to a Sub-task

Keep the following points in mind:

Existing Sub-tasks: An issue cannot be directly converted into a sub-task if it already has sub-tasks of its own. Jira prevents this to maintain a clear hierarchy.
Workaround for Issues with Sub-tasks: To convert an issue that currently has its own sub-tasks, you must first convert all of its existing sub-tasks into standard issues. Once the original issue has no sub-tasks under it, you can then proceed to convert it into a sub-task of another parent issue.
Moving Sub-tasks Between Parents: Sub-tasks cannot be directly ‘moved’ or ‘reparented’ from one parent issue to another using a simple move operation that might be available for standard issues.
Procedure to ‘Move’ a Sub-task: To effectively change the parent of a sub-task: First, convert the sub-task into a standard (parent-level) issue. Then, convert this standard issue back into a sub-task, but this time, during the conversion process (Step 1 described above), select the new desired parent issue.

In the next chapter, we will learn how to convert a sub-task back into a standard issue.