To address the requirement of notifying a limited set of users when issues transition to a "Pending" status in a company-managed project, and allowing the project admin to manage the list of users, two key configurations are necessary: aproject roleand acustom event. Below is the detailed explanation based on official Jira Software Cloud documentation.

Project Role (Option A):

Purpose: Project roles allow project administrators to define and manage a group of users who can be assigned specific permissions or notification responsibilities within a project. This is critical for the requirement that the project admin must manage the list of users to be notified.

How It Works: In Jira, project roles (e.g., "Developers," "Administrators," or a custom role like "Pending Status Notifiers") are created and managed at the project level. The project admin can add or remove users from these roles without needing global admin permissions, which aligns with the requirement for the project admin to manage the user list.

Configuration Steps:

Navigate toProject Settings > Peoplein the company-managed project.

Create a new project role or use an existing one (e.g., "Pending Notifiers").

Add users to this role as needed. The project admin can update this list at any time.

In the notification scheme, associate the project role with the custom event (explained below) to ensure that users in this role receive notifications when the event is triggered.

Why This Is Necessary: Using a project role ensures scalability and flexibility. Instead of hardcoding individual users or groups in the notification scheme, a project role allows the admin to dynamically manage who receives notifications without modifying the underlying configuration.

Custom Event (Option C):

Purpose: A custom event is required to trigger notifications specifically for thetransition to the "Pending" status. Jira’s notification system relies on events to determine when and to whom notifications are sent. By creating a custom event, you can link it to the specific workflow transition (e.g., moving to "Pending") and configure the notification scheme to notify the project role.

How It Works: In Jira, events are fired during workflow transitions via post functions. A custom event (e.g., "Issue Moved to Pending") can be created and associated with the transition to the "Pending" status. The notification scheme is then configured to send notifications to the designated project role when this event occurs.

Configuration Steps:

Navigate toSettings > System > Events(requires Jira admin permissions).

Create a new custom event, such as "Issue Moved to Pending," with a description and an appropriate notification template (e.g., "Issue Updated").

In the workflow used by the project, edit the transition to the "Pending" status:

Add a post function to the transition, such as"Fire a Generic Event"or a custom event, and select the custom event ("Issue Moved to Pending").

Update the project’snotification scheme(found inProject Settings > NotificationsorSettings > Issues > Notification Schemes):

Map the custom event to the project role (e.g., "Pending Notifiers") to ensure that users in this role receive notifications when the event is fired.

Why This Is Necessary: A custom event is essential because Jira’s default events (e.g., "Issue Updated," "Issue Created") may not be specific enough to target only the "Pending" status transition. A custom event ensures that notifications are sent only when the issue transitions to "Pending," meeting the requirement for targeted notifications.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

Workflow Condition (Option B):

A workflow condition controls whether a user can execute a transition (e.g., restricting who can move an issue to "Pending"). It does not influence notifications or manage lists of users to be notified. Therefore, it is irrelevant to the requirement of notifying users and allowing the project admin to manage the user list.

Workflow Validator (Option D):

A workflow validator checks whether certain criteria are met before allowing a transition to proceed (e.g., ensuring a field is filled). Like conditions, validators do not handle notifications or user management for notifications, making this option incorrect.

Group (Option E):

While groups can be used in notification schemes to define who receives notifications, they are managed by Jira admins at the global level (viaSettings > User Management > Groups), not by project admins. The requirement specifies that theproject adminmust manage the list of users, which is not feasible with groups since project admins lack permission to edit global groups. Project roles, however, can be managed by project admins, making them the correct choice over groups.

Additional Notes:

The configuration assumes a company-managed project, as team-managed projects have simpler permission and notification settings that do not support custom events or complex workflow configurations to the same extent.

If the project admin lacks permission to edit workflows or notification schemes (which require Jira admin access), they would need to collaborate with a Jira admin to set up the custom event and initial notification scheme. However, once configured, the project admin can manage the project role’s membership independently.

The use of a custom event ensures that notifications are specific to the "Pending" status transition, avoiding unnecessary notifications for other transitions or actions.