Metric
Exception: the “Metric” selection is unavailable for the Time in Status chart because this chart focuses solely on the time tasks spent in each status rather than tracking the overall cycle or lead time. The goal is to analyze where tasks are held up within the workflow, not to measure the total duration from start to finish.
The option is available for the Cycle Time and Trend charts.
Cycle Time
The Cycle Time metric measures the duration from when work starts (issue moved to the “In Progress” status category) to when it’s completed (issue moved to the “Done” status category).
Lead Time
The Lead Time metric tracks the time from when an issue is created to when it’s finished (the issue is moved to the “Done” status category). This metric provides a broader view of how long tasks take from inception to completion.
Issue state
Define the issue state you want to include in the chart building.
Cycle Time chart | Time in Status chart | Trend chart | |
Done | Includes only issues that have reached the 'Done' state within the selected interval, calculating the time taken to complete these tasks. | Includes only issues that have reached the 'Done' state, calculating the time they spent in each status before completion. | Tracks trends for issues that reached the 'Done' state within the selected interval, helping predict future performance based on completion times. |
Updated | Includes issues that have undergone any status change during the selected interval, calculating the time from when they were first updated to when they are completed. | Includes issues that have undergone any status change, calculating the time spent on each status during the selected interval. | Shows trends for issues that have undergone any status change, reflecting changes in workflow dynamics over time. |
Created | Includes only issues created within the selected interval, tracking their Cycle or Lead time from work starts/creation to completion. | Includes only issues that were created within the selected interval, tracking the time they spent on each status until they moved to the next phase. | Displays trends for issues that were created within the selected interval, providing insights into how long tasks take from creation to completion. |
Any | Includes all issues, regardless of their status, ensuring a comprehensive calculation of Cycle/Lead time across the selected interval. | Includes all issues in the selected interval, calculating the time spent in each status across the entire workflow. | Includes all issues in the selected interval, offering a broad view of trends across the workflow. |
In Progress statuses
The In Progress Statuses option allows you to customize which statuses are considered "In Progress" for all your charts, whether it's Cycle Time, Time in Status, or Trend. This flexibility lets you redefine what "In Progress" means for your workflow by including statuses that are typically categorized as "To Do" or "Done".
Sometimes, your team might have specific statuses that don’t fit neatly into the default "In Progress" category but are crucial to your workflow. For example, you might have a "To Do" status like "Design Approved" or a "Done" status like "Ready for Release". By selecting these as "In Progress," you can ensure that the time spent in these critical stages is accurately tracked and analyzed.
The In Progress Statuses option allows you to tailor your charts to reflect the unique aspects of your workflow, ensuring that no crucial stage is overlooked, regardless of how it's categorized in Jira.
Done statuses
The Done Statuses option allows you to customize which statuses are considered "Done" for the Cycle Time and Trend charts. This flexibility lets you redefine what "Done" means for your workflow by including statuses that are typically categorized as "In Progress" or even "To Do".
In some workflows, the completion point might not align with the traditional "Done" category. For example, your team might have an "In Progress" status like "Ready for Release" or a "To Do" status like "Final Review" that marks the end of their process. By selecting these statuses as "Done", you can ensure that your charts accurately reflect when work is truly finished.
Exception: the Done Statuses option is not available for the Time in Status chart because this chart’s primary focus is to track how long tasks are spent in each individual status - no matter their category, rather than when they are completed. The Time in Status chart aims to provide insights into the time distribution across all statuses within the workflow, making the concept of a "Done" status unnecessary for this specific analysis.
Timer control
The Start timer on and Pause timer on options allow you to precisely define when the clock starts and stops on your issues, which is particularly useful when issues move through the same statuses multiple times. By customizing these settings, you can focus on the specific part of the issue’s lifecycle that matters most to your analysis.
Available options:
First transition to status: starts or pauses the timer the first time the issue transitions to a selected status. This option is a default for the “Start timer on” field, meaning the timer starts when an issue first enters an “In Progress” status.
Last transition to status: starts or pauses the timer the last time the issue transitions to a selected status. This option is the default for the ”Pause timer on” field, meaning the timer stops when an issue last enters a “Done” status.
First transition from status: starts or pauses the timer the first time the issue transitions from a selected status.
Last transition from status: starts or pauses the timer the last time the issue transitions from a selected status.
There are a few scenarios to help identify what this setting is about.
Managing reopened issues.
Imagine an issue that gets reopened several times during a sprint. By using the Start timer on: First transition to status and the Pause timer on: Last transition to status, you ensure that the timer only tracks the time from the first moment the issue starts progressing to the final moment it is marked as Done, giving you an accurate measure of the total active work time.Tracking revisions in review:
Consider an issue that bounces back and forth between "In Progress" and "Review" multiple times. Setting Start timer on: Last transition from status and Pause timer on: First transition to status allows you to focus on the time spent in the final round of work before it was last sent for review, ensuring you capture the most critical work phase.Focus on the final push:
Suppose you’re interested in how long it takes to complete the final phase of work on an issue. In that case, you might set Start timer on: Last transition from one “Done” status (for example, "Ready for Release") and Pause timer on: Last transition to another final “Done” status (for example, "Released"). This setup tracks only the last, decisive push to move the issue from being ready to actually being released, giving you a clear view of the final effort required to get the issue over the finish line.