Count unresolved blocking work items

Configuration

To use the Count unresolved blocking work items template, simply select it from the template grid. Filter by Links to find it faster.

Parameters

This template does not require any additional parameter configuration.

Expert mode

Expression

General expression:

%{count(filterByResolution(linkedIssues("is blocked by"), ""))}

Display as

Number

Formatting style

Default (unformatted)

Used parser functions

• count()

• filterByResolution()

• linkedIssues()

Details

1. What does the expression do?

The expression counts how many work items are blocking the current work item (using the "is blocked by" link type) and are still unresolved (i.e., they do not have a resolution set).

2. Step-by-step breakdown

Let’s break it down:

• %{ ... }

  • This syntax is used to evaluate an expression as advanced.

• linkedIssues("is blocked by")

  • This function finds all work items that are linked to the current work item with the link type "is blocked by". In other words, it gathers all work items that are blocking the current one.

• filterByResolution(..., "")

  • This function filters the list of linked work items to only include those that do not have a resolution set. In Jira, a work item without a resolution is considered unresolved.

• count(...)

  • This function counts the number of work items in the filtered list (i.e., the number of unresolved blocking work items).

3. Examples

Suppose you have a work item (let’s call it "Task A") that is blocked by three other work items: "Task B", "Task C", and "Task D".

• "Task B" is unresolved.

• "Task C" is resolved.

• "Task D" is unresolved.

The expression will:

• Find all work items blocking "Task A" ("Task B", "Task C", "Task D").

• Filter to only those unresolved ("Task B", "Task D").

• Count them (2).

So, the result displayed would be 2.

4. Real-life use cases

• A project manager wants to quickly see how many unresolved blockers are preventing progress on a specific work item.

• A team lead is reviewing a backlog and wants to identify work items that are stuck due to unresolved dependencies.

• During sprint planning, the team checks which work items are blocked and how many blockers are still open, to prioritize their resolution.