Switching · Approval Flow
Switching from Group Sign-Off to Approval Flow
Approval Flow for Jira 3.0.0 is the production version (30 October 2026). Last updated 20 October 2026. On the Atlassian Marketplace.
One dry run and one import, read from Group Sign-Off's fields on the work items. The other app is only read, never changed, the dry run writes nothing, and every import run can be undone.
What moves
#- The decisions Group Sign-Off keeps in its approval fields on the work item: who approved and who declined, and who is still pending. Approval Flow 2.10.0 does not read the decision time: Group Sign-Off writes its history as text, so imported decisions carry no time.
- With Also carry over pending approvals, the pending people become a Required requirement.
What does not move
#- Group Sign-Off's field configuration: it is not readable by other apps.
Before you start
#Nothing to export: the data is already on the work items.
How
#In Jira settings, Apps, open Switch to Approval Flow, choose On the work items (read in place), Group Sign-Off field (decisions and who is pending), the field and a JQL. Click Dry run, then Import.
Optional: Also carry over pending approvals turns the people still pending into a Required Approval Flow requirement on that work item, so in-flight approvals continue here. With All of the pending people, every one of them must sign; the dry run says how many requirements it will create.
Run both side by side
#Approval Flow never changes Group Sign-Off. Try one project first. Imported records appear on each work item under Imported history, marked "Imported, not verified by Approval Flow", with the app, the import run, who imported them and when. They are history, not sign-offs: they do not satisfy a requirement, the workflow gate, the Approval status field or the certificate, and the Approval Flow audit chain records that the import happened, not the decisions themselves.
Roll back
#Every import run can be undone from the same page. Importing the same data again adds nothing twice. Requirements created by carry-over stay after an undo, so in-flight approvals are not lost.
Who can do it
#Jira administrators, in every edition.
More on Approval Flow: documentation, comparison with other apps.
Common questions
#Does the import change Group Sign-Off?
No. Approval Flow only reads what Group Sign-Off left behind and never changes it, so both apps can run side by side while you compare.
Can I see what will be imported before anything is written?
Yes. Every path starts with a dry run that writes nothing and shows what would be imported and what would be skipped.
Can I undo an import?
Yes. Every import run can be undone, and running the same import again adds nothing twice.
Do imported approvals count as sign-offs?
No. They are kept as labelled imported history and never count as a sign-off, toward the workflow gate or in the approval certificate.
Who can run the switch?
Jira administrators, in every edition.
Atlassian, Jira, Confluence and Jira Service Management are trademarks of Atlassian. Other product names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify those products. Stanki Guild is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Atlassian or by any vendor named on this page.