Auto Sprint Start Stop
🔹 Overview
Welcome to the official documentation for Auto Sprint Start Stop, a Jira Cloud app developed by PgM Innovations.
Auto Sprint Start Stop eliminates the manual pain of starting and ending sprints in Jira Cloud. While Jira displays sprint dates, it doesn’t take action on them. This app fills that gap—automating sprint cadence with a simple, one-time setup. No scripts, no workflows, just uninterrupted delivery.
🔹 Table of Contents
🔹 Key Features
Automated Sprint Start
Start sprints automatically when the current time matches the configured start time in Jira.
Automated Sprint Completion
Automatically close sprints based on the configured end time.
Move open tickets to one of the following destinations:
The next available sprint
A newly created sprint (named "Auto Custom Sprint") if a future sprint doesn’t exist.
The backlog
Board-level Configuration
Users can choose to enable automation for sprint start, sprint stop, or both on a per-board basis.
Supports both Company Managed and Team Managed Projects.
One-time Setup
Simple enable-and-save workflow per board. No ongoing configuration required.
🔹 Why Choose Auto Sprint Start Stop?
Other sprint automation tools bundle start and stop together, forcing teams into an all-or-nothing approach. Auto Sprint Start Stop offers flexibility: choose to automate only what your process needs. This is especially helpful in hybrid teams or environments where one part of the sprint lifecycle is more consistent than the other.
With a low learning curve, instant value, and audit-free setup, this app is ideal for high-performing teams that just want their sprints to start and stop on time, without a Jira babysitter.
🔹 Prerequisites
Company Managed Projects
For User:
Before you can configure Auto Sprint Start Stop, ensure you have the following Jira permissions in at least one project:
Browse Projects
Manage Sprints
Edit Issues
Schedule Issues
If any of these permissions are missing, you will see an access-denied prompt (see example below).
These permissions are typically sufficient for most users to configure and use the app effectively.
However, in some organizations, additional permissions may be required, depending on:
Custom workflow conditions or validations
Active automation rules
Project-specific permission schemes
For App:
To allow Auto Sprint Start Stop to read and manage sprints on a board, the app must also have permission to view the board’s filter. Please add the app as a Viewer on the filter associated with each board. You can grant this in any one of the following ways (see screenshot):
Organization-level: Give “My organization” or “Any logged-in user” access. This would automatically give read/view access to the app for the filter.
Project-level: Grant access to the project (all roles) that owns the board. This would automatically give read/view access to the app for the filter.
Specific user/group: Add the “Auto Sprint Start Stop” service account directly. This would explicitly give read/view access to the app for the filter.
Team Managed Projects
Auto Sprint Start Stop supports team-managed projects. Configuration access depends on the project’s Project access setting.
Private
Limited
Open
Who can configure a board in Auto Sprint Start Stop
Project access | Minimum access required to configure the board |
|---|---|
Open | Anyone (no additional permission required). |
Limited | Member role or higher. |
Private | Member role or higher. |
🔹 Accessing the App
Log in to Jira Cloud
Authenticate with your Jira credentials on your organization’s site.
Open the App Menu
In the left-hand vertical navigation bar, click the Apps icon.
Select Auto Sprint Start Stop
From the sub-menu, choose Auto Sprint Start Stop to launch the configuration screen.
🔹 How It Works
Auto Sprint Starter (Left Panel)
Select one or more boards
Ensure the Enable switch is turned on
Click Save
The app will auto-start each sprint when the system time matches the configured sprint start time for the configured boards. App scheduler runs every 30 minutes (XX:00 & XX:30 hours) or as soon as the Save button is clicked on the app interface.
Auto Sprint Closure (Right Panel)
Select one or more boards
Choose where to move open tickets upon sprint closure:
Backlog
Next sprint
Click Save
The app will auto-close the sprint based on the configured time and move open tickets based on your selected logic. App scheduler runs every 30 minutes (XX:00 & XX:30 hours) or as soon as the Save button is clicked on the app interface.
NOTE: App uses the Status Category field to determine whether a ticket is considered completed. Specifically, any issue where the statusCategory is not equal to Done (i.e., categorized as To Do or In Progress) is treated as open. When a board is configured to move open tickets at sprint closure, the app will take action on all such tickets—regardless of their specific status name—based solely on the statusCategory.
The destination for these open tickets is determined by the setting configured in the app:
If “Next Sprint” is selected, the app will move all open tickets to the next available sprint. If no future sprint exists, the app will create one automatically with the name “Auto Custom Sprint” and move the tickets there.
If “Backlog” is selected, all open tickets will be moved to the backlog—even if future sprints are available.
This behavior is independent of the issue status itself and is driven entirely by the sprint destination configured within the app.
Board Visibility on App interface
Company Managed Project:
Users will only see boards in the Auto Sprint Start Stop interface if they meet one of the following criteria for that board:
Possess all four of the required permissions—
Browse Projects
Manage Sprints
Edit Issues
Schedule Issues
Or are designated as a Board Administrator
Boards(Projects) for which the user lacks any of these permissions (and where they are not a Board Admin) will not appear in the dropdown or on the configuration screen.
Team Managed Project:
Users will only see boards in the Auto Sprint Start Stop interface if they meet one of the following criteria for that board:
Project access = Open: The board belongs to a project whose Project access is set to Open.
Project access = Limited or Private: The board belongs to a project whose Project access is Limited or Private, and the user has the Member role or higher in that project.
Key Points:
Actionable sprint requirements
The app only acts on sprints that have a defined start or end date. Sprints with no dates can’t be actioned by the app.
Sprints with no open tickets are ignored for Sprint Start Automation. Works as expected for Sprint Stop Automation.
Parallel sprints
Auto Sprint Start Stop does not support Jira’s Parallel Sprints feature. The app will only start or stop the board’s top-order sprint.
🔹 Links
💡Feedback, Suggestions, or Queries, Click Here.
▶️ Launch Video of Auto Sprint Start Stop App, Click Here.
🌐Learn more about PgM Innovation, Click Here.
📥Install the app, Click Here.