OCP has an existing GH<->Jira intergration that is able to block PRs from merging if the OCPBUGS card linked to does not fulfill certain criteria (targeting version, dependent bugs states for backports etc.)

OTA team would like to utilize this automation for enforcing that a linked UpgradeBlocker candidate Jira card receives an Impact Statement (see OTA-787 and https://github.com/openshift/enhancements/tree/master/enhancements/update/update-blocker-lifecycle#impact-statement-request in a timely manner.

After OTA-787, the workflow is implemented via labels on cards, so the check would be implemented by inspecting labels on linked cards. I believe we would not need to inspect the actual Impact Statement card, just inspecting the labels on the OCPBUGS card should be enough.

Depending on how strict we want to be with the process, we may block either on providing impact statement, or on OTA decision about the UpgradeBlocker:

1. We want to block on providing impact statements: if a card has UpgradeBlocker then prevent merge unless the card has either ImpactStatementProposed or UpgradeRecommendationBlocked.
2. We want to block on resolving: if a card has UpgradeBlocker then prevent merge unless the card has UpgradeRecommendationBlocked.

The GH<->Jira intergration bits are owned by the Continuous Release Team and we would need to consult the intent with them. We believe we would be able to provide the implementation ourselves.