Issue Summary

In Jira Cloud Automation, the Work item fields condition behaves incorrectly when comparing a select list (single choice) custom field on a child work item to the same field on its parent work item using the “does not equal” operator.

When both the parent and child fields are empty, the condition incorrectly evaluates as true (passes). Logically, two empty values should be considered equal, so a “does not equal” comparison should fail.

This leads to automation rules running in cases where there is effectively no difference between the parent and child field values (both unset).

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a custom field:

• Type: Select list (single choice)
• Name: e.g. My Select Field

2. Add this custom field to:

• A parent issue type (e.g. Story, Epic, etc.)
• A child issue type (e.g. Sub-task, child story, etc.)

3. Ensure both the parent and the child issue have this field empty (no option selected).

4. Create an automation rule that runs on the child issue, with a Work item fields condition:

• Field: My Select Field (on the issue)
• Condition: does not equal
• Compare to: My Select Field (on the parent)

5. Trigger the rule for the child issue.

Expected Results

Two empty values should be treated as equal. Therefore, when both parent and child My Select Field are empty:

• The “does not equal” Work item fields condition should fail.

• The rule should not proceed based on that condition.

Actual Results

Both parent and child have  My Select Field empty.

• The Work item fields condition Child "My Select Field" does not equal Parent "My Select Field" passes in the audit log.

Workaround

Replace the Work item fields condition with a Smart value condition that compares the values.

{{issue.customfield_xxxx}} does not equal {{issue.parent.customfield_xxxx}}