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Automatically assign new work items in Azure DevOps

  • Azure DevOps
  • Automation
  • Work Items
  • Assignment
Auto assign new work items flow overview
Overview of the automation flow for auto-assigning new work items.

Automatically assign new Azure DevOps work items when they are created with no assignee.

Use it so new Bugs, User Stories, and other items do not sit unassigned. Set Assigned To to a person or group in this project before you enable the automation.

Prerequisite: Install Automations App on your Azure DevOps organization

Install from Marketplace Complete organization setup

Create an automation from the Auto assign new work items template, or start from scratch
Go to Project → Automations → Create automation from template Auto assign new work items or Start from scratch.
Trigger

Trigger — Work Item Created

This trigger activates when a new work item is created in the project. It does not filter by work item type, meaning it applies to all new work items.

Configured in this template

  • Work item types: all (no filter)

You can customize

  • Limit to specific work item types if needed by adding a filter.
Auto assign new work items trigger
Trigger setup for detecting new work item creation.
Condition

Condition — Work item fields

This condition checks if the 'Assigned To' field of the work item is empty. If the field is already filled, the automation stops here.

Configured in this template

  • Check: This work item
  • Require: All of Items
  • Field conditions: Assigned To Is Empty
  • Match logic: All conditions must match (AND)
  • Related work item conditions: (none)

You can customize

  • Add more field conditions if needed, such as checking the work item state.
Auto assign new work items condition 1
Condition setup to check if 'Assigned To' is empty.
Action

Action — Update Work Item

This action assigns the work item to a specified user by updating the 'Assigned To' field. You must set this field to enable the automation.

Configured in this template

  • Work on: This work item
  • Field updates: Assigned To = (empty — set per org)

You can customize

  • Change the assignee to another team member as needed.
  • Add additional field updates if required.
Auto assign new work items action 1
Action setup to update the 'Assigned To' field.

Full automation

Auto assign new work items full automation
Complete view of the automation flow to auto-assign new work items.

Common questions

How do I automatically assign new work items in Azure DevOps?
Automatically assign new Azure DevOps work items when they are created with no assignee. Use the Auto assign new work items template in Documentero Automations: open Templates, pick this flow, fill the required fields, and enable it.
What fields must be filled before enabling this automation?
You must specify a value for the 'Assigned To' field in the Update Work Item action.
Can I change the work item types this automation applies to?
Yes, you can customize the trigger to filter specific work item types.
How can I test this automation?
Create a new work item without an assignee in your project to see if it gets automatically assigned.

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Automate Azure DevOps workflows with triggers, actions, conditions, and scheduled rules.

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Add comment after status change

Work Items

When State changes, add a comment naming who changed it and the new state.

Set Priority by rules

Work Items

When a work item is created as a Bug, set Priority to 1. Adjust conditions as needed.

Auto tag new work items

Work Items

When a work item is created, add tags without removing existing ones.

Reassign to creator when resolved

Work Items

When State changes to Resolved, assign the item to whoever created it (typical verification). Scrum and Basic have no Resolved state — this only fires when the type has one.