What Can You Do with Workflow Rules?
When a user selects a choice from a choice list, you can:
Select
choices in other choice lists.
Change
the possible choices in other choice lists.
These are the basics of workflow rules. However, this explanation leaves out some important details:
By
default, rules are applied when a user creates, saves, or loads an issue. You can also force rules to
be evaluated when a user selects a choice.
Workflow
rules can also be based on more complicated conditions. For example, a rule may require that certain choices
are selected from a number of different choice lists, or that the user is a member of a specific group,
or both.
Automate Workflow
By controlling the possible values of the Progress field, you can define
and enforce a process.
Simple workflow controlled by Progress values

Example 1:
After an analyst starts work on an issue and marks it In Progress, you
can enforce a process where only the analyst can mark the issue as Dropped,
Resolved, or To be Verified.
When:
<User in Group> = Help Desk Analyst AND
Progress = In Progress
The possible values are:
Progress = Dropped
Progress = Resolved
Progress = To be Verified
Note that Progress = In Progress is an implied possible value. A choice
list can always be set back to its current value. For example, if a user is not a help desk analyst and
an issue is marked In Progress, the Progress
list contains only one choice: In Progress.
This rule is an example of a possible values rule.
Example 2:
You can prevent anyone except a group leader from assigning new issues.
When:
<User in Group> = Help Desk Group Leader AND
Progress = New
The possible values are:
Progress = Assigned
This prevents new issues from being resolved or dropped without first being assigned to an analyst by
the group leader. If a user is not a group leader, the only possible choice is New.
Create Related Choice Lists
You can define rules to create a relationship between two choice lists.
If Problem Type can be Hardware, Software,
or System, Problem Area can be a type-specific
list that displays a list of hardware components, software applications, or system components.
When:
Problem Type = Hardware
The possible values are:
Problem Area = Disk
Problem Area = Monitor
Problem Area = Keyboard
Problem Area = Memory
You need to create similar rules for software and system problems.
By default, workflow rules are evaluated when an issue is saved. For related choice lists like the ones
in this example, you probably want to evaluate the rule whenever the Problem Type
changes. Otherwise, users would have to select a Problem Type, save the
issue, and then select the Problem Area.
Set Field Values
Instead of setting the possible values of a choice list, you can define rules that select choices from
other lists. These type of rules are called a dependent values rules, because they make the value of one
field depend on the value of another field.
This rule that assigns a default owner based on the Problem Area.
When:
Owner = <None> AND
Problem Area = SW - Outlook
The values to set are:
Owner = Erick Yanez
This rule assigns a default owner for new issues, but allows the issue to be reassigned. Without <New
Issue> = yes, users could not change the owner of the issue.
Related Topics
What
You Should Know about Workflow Rules
What
is a Workflow Rule?
Creating
Rule Templates
Defining
Rules
Changing
When Rules Are Evaluated