Delayed execution

Post functions are provided with an option to delay execution for a set number of seconds using the Delayed execution option (Figure 1, right). To delay execution, select the number of seconds to wait until the post-function is run; any value between 1 second (the default) up to a maximum of 20 seconds can be selected.

Workflows that depend on post functions being executed in a specific order can fail due to the asynchronous nature of Connect post-functions in Jira Cloud. One workaround is to delay the execution of a post-function, thereby creating a more predictable execution order. For example, on the approval of a Story you want to create sub-tasks and immediately transition them; in this case, you will have to delay the execution of the Transition Linked Issues post-function, so that the sub-tasks are created before they are transitioned. See the sample use case, below.

Where possible, it is recommended to use the Sequence of post-functions post-function or Shared action post-function to execute a series of post-functions in a specific sequence instead of applying a delay.

Figure 1 - Delayed execution option

Sample use cases for Delayed execution

On the creation of a Bug, assign it to a member of the QA team and then add the Assignee to the Watchers.

Create a QA project role, with the testers as its members.
Add the Assign to role member post-function to the transition Create of the Bug workflow.
Select QA as the project role to look for.

Add the Copy value from field to field post-function to the Create transition of the Bug workflow.
Select Assignee as the From field.
Select Watchers as the To field.
Select the Delayed execution option and select 5 sec from the Delay drop-down.

On the approval of a Story, create subtasks for Development and QA, and transition them to In Progress status.

Add the Create issue post-function to the Approve transition of the Story workflow.
Select Same as current issue from the Project field.
Select Subtask from the Issue type field.
Select Current issue from the Parent issue field.
Repeat the above steps for the Development subtask.

Add the Transition linked issues post-function to the Approve transition of the Story workflow.
Select Issue Link Type as is Parent of.
Select the Delayed execution option and select 10 sec from the Delay drop-down.

Cloud Migration Resources

Delayed execution

Sample use cases for Delayed execution