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Reopen parent when a child is reopened in Azure DevOps

  • Azure DevOps
  • Automation
  • Parent & Child
  • Parent / child
Reopen parent when a child is reopened flow overview
Overview of the automation flow that reopens a parent work item when a child is reopened.

When a child leaves Completed (Closed or Done), set the parent back to In progress (Active, Committed, Doing, …) in Azure DevOps.

Using this template, you can automatically update the state of a parent work item whenever any of its child items leave the 'Completed' state. This is especially useful for teams that need to track ongoing work and ensure that parent items reflect the current status of their child items.

Prerequisite: Install Automations App on your Azure DevOps organization

Install from Marketplace Complete organization setup

Create an automation from the Reopen parent when a child is reopened template, or start from scratch
Go to Project → Automations → Create automation from template Reopen parent when a child is reopened or Start from scratch.
Trigger

Trigger — Work Item Update

This trigger activates when a work item's field changes, specifically monitoring the 'State' field. It does not include changes to links or comments.

Configured in this template

  • Work item types: all (no filter)
  • Changed fields (optional filter): State

You can customize

  • Limit the trigger to specific work item types if needed.
  • Add additional fields to monitor if required.
Reopen parent when a child is reopened trigger
Trigger setup for monitoring work item state changes.
Condition

Condition — Work item fields

This condition checks if the work item's state has changed from a 'Completed' category. It ensures that the work item has at least one parent item before proceeding.

Configured in this template

  • Check: This work item
  • Require: All of Items
  • Field conditions: State Changed From state category Completed (Closed, Done, …)
  • Match logic: All conditions must match (AND)
  • Related work item conditions: parent: at least one exists

You can customize

  • Adjust the state categories to match your project's workflow terms.
  • Modify related work item conditions if your hierarchy differs.
Reopen parent when a child is reopened condition 1
Condition setup to check for state changes and parent existence.
Action

Action — Update Work Item

This action updates the parent work item's state to 'In progress' when the conditions are met. It targets the parent of the triggered work item.

Configured in this template

  • Work on: Parent of trigger
  • Field updates: State = state category In progress (Active, Committed, Doing, …)

You can customize

  • Change the target state category to align with your project workflow.
  • Include additional field updates if necessary.
Reopen parent when a child is reopened action 1
Action setup to update the parent work item's state.

Full automation

Reopen parent when a child is reopened full automation
Complete view of the automation flow for reopening a parent work item.

Common questions

How do I reopen parent when a child is reopened in Azure DevOps?
When a child leaves Completed (Closed or Done), set the parent back to In progress (Active, Committed, Doing, …) in Azure DevOps. Use the Reopen parent when a child is reopened template in Documentero Automations: open Templates, pick this flow, fill the required fields, and enable it.
What fields are required to enable this automation?
Ensure that all required fields, such as work item types and state categories, are correctly set before enabling the automation.
Can I change the work item types this automation applies to?
Yes, you can customize the work item types in the trigger to match your specific needs.
How can I test this automation?
Test the automation by manually changing a child work item's state from 'Completed' to another state and verify if the parent work item updates accordingly.
Is it possible to adjust the state categories used in this automation?
Yes, you can modify the state categories to align with your project's specific workflow terms.

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Setup guideParent & Child templates

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