JIRA - Clone an Issue

Jira - Cloning an Issue

Cloning an issue in Jira means creating a new, separate copy of an existing issue. The cloned issue is a duplicate but becomes an independent entity within the same project (or potentially a different project if advanced cloning plugins are used, though standard cloning is same-project).

Cloning is useful when you need to create an issue that is very similar to an existing one, saving you the time of manually re-entering all the information.

Key considerations when cloning an issue:

• Independent Entity: The cloned issue is entirely separate from the original. Changes made to the original issue do not affect the clone, and vice-versa, after the cloning process is complete.
• Linkage: Jira automatically creates a link between the original issue and its clone. The original issue will show a link like ‘is cloned by [Cloned Issue Key]’, and the cloned issue will show ‘clones [Original Issue Key]’.
• Information Copied: Most of the information from the original issue is carried over to the clone, including:
• Information Optionally Copied: During the cloning process, you typically have options to also clone:
• Assignee: The assignee might be copied, reset to unassigned, or set to the current user, depending on Jira’s configuration and options presented during cloning.
• Information NOT Cloned: Certain dynamic or historical data is generally not copied:

Steps to Clone an Issue

To clone an issue:

1. Open the Jira issue you wish to clone.
2. Locate the ‘Actions’ menu (often represented by a ’…’ icon) on the issue view page.
3. Select ‘Clone’ from the menu. A ‘Clone Issue’ dialog box will appear.

In the ‘Clone Issue’ dialog, you will typically see the following options:

• Summary: The summary of the new (cloned) issue. By default, Jira often prepends ‘CLONE - ’ to the original summary. You can edit this field as needed.
• Clone Attachments: A checkbox to indicate whether to copy attachments from the original issue.
• Clone Subtasks: A checkbox to indicate whether to also clone any subtasks of the original issue. If selected, new subtasks will be created under the new cloned issue.
• Clone Issue Links: A checkbox to specify if existing links (other than the automatic clone link) should be replicated on the new issue.
• Clone Sprint Value: A checkbox (if applicable, for issues in Agile projects) to copy the sprint assignment.

Review these options, make any necessary changes to the summary, and select your preferences for attachments, subtasks, links, and sprint values. Then, click the ‘Create’ or ‘Clone’ button.

A new issue will be created with the information copied as specified. You will usually be redirected to the newly cloned issue, or a success message with a link to it will appear. The summary will reflect any changes you made, and the issue will be linked to the original.

Practical Applications of Cloning

• Recurring Tasks: If you have tasks that need to be performed regularly, you can clone a template task.
• Similar Bugs: If a bug found in one module or version is also present in another, you can clone the original bug report and adjust the relevant details (like affected version or component).
• Creating Baselines: For complex issues that serve as a template for similar future work.
• Follow-up Work: If an issue is resolved but requires subsequent related work, cloning can create a new starting point linked to the original context.

While cloning is convenient, ensure it’s the appropriate action. Sometimes, creating a new linked issue (e.g., ‘Related to’) or using issue templates (if your Jira setup supports them) might be a better alternative depending on the specific scenario.