parentsOf
The parentsOf function allows you to trace up the hierarchy to find ancestor issues of a specified subquery. This function is invaluable for:
- Understanding the upper levels of the project hierarchy
- Facilitating a comprehensive review of project health and progress by tracking how individual tasks contribute to overarching goals.
- Ensuring that all tasks align with and support higher-level initiatives and milestones.
How to find parent issues in Jira: The parentsOf JQL function video demo
Syntax and parameters
parentsOf(Subquery, [Depth])- Subquery: A JQL query that identifies the child issues whose parent issues are to be retrieved.
- Depth: Can specify "all" to include all ancestors up to the highest level (e.g., initiatives), or omit this to get the parents of subtasks only.
Examples
Finding Parent Issues of Subtasks in a Project:
For teams looking to track the progress of specific subtasks back to their main tasks:
issueFunction in parentsOf("project = DEMO")This query helps in understanding how subtasks are nested within larger tasks, aiding in detailed project tracking and management.
Tracing All Ancestors of Issues in a Project:
When needing a comprehensive view of all the hierarchical relationships within a project, including epics and initiatives:
issueFunction in parentsOf("project = DEMO", "all")This provides a clear picture of how stories, epics, and other issues stack up under higher-level initiatives, crucial for strategic planning.
Identifying Initiatives Directly Affecting Active Tasks:
To focus specifically on initiatives affecting active projects without including intermediate levels like epics:
issueFunction in parentsOf("project = DEMO", "all") and issueType != "Epic"This query filters out the epics, allowing project managers to focus on the initiatives directly driving project efforts.