3 Ways to Generate Monthly Reports for Tracking Jira Work Item Changes

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Keeping track of any changes in the Jira projects is essential for all Product Managers. Updates to work items, such as changing their status or assigning a different person, can influence your project plans and schedules.

Keeping an eye on these changes every month helps you match your roadmap, notice any problems quickly, and present project progress and results to stakeholders.

In this article, we will explore three effective methods for monitoring updates to work items in Jira. Let’s look at how you can turn info related to updates into practical knowledge that helps you lead your team.

Method 1: Using Jira Issue Filters to Track Monthly Work Item Updates

One possible method for staying updated on changes to work items in Jira is to use custom JQL filters. It allows you to review which tasks have been updated in the past month and monitor the project progress.

How It Works

You can set up a filter to view all work items that changed in the previous month. Here’s a sample JQL query:

updated >= startOfMonth(-1) AND updated <= endOfMonth(-1)

It will display all updates made to any work item during the last calendar month, including changes to status, assignee, or other details.

You can also use a filter to capture changes related to the status updates of work items. Here’s an example:

status changed DURING (startOfMonth(-1), endOfMonth(-1))

You will get the work items whose status was changed in the previous month.

Or, for example, you can use such a query to get the work items whose status was changed to Done during the previous month:

status changed TO "Done" DURING (startOfMonth(-1), endOfMonth(-1))

You can save any JQL as a filter and use it each month.

Why It’s Useful for Product Managers

This method enables you to quickly view recently updated work items without requiring any additional tools. It allows you to identify potential obstacles that could hinder your project and keep your team informed about its progress.

Limitations

You can see what items have been updated, but you won’t find out the details of the changes or who made them. To keep a detailed history of changes, you need a more advanced reporting option, which we’ll explore further.

Method 2: Track Work Item Changes with Jira Dashboard Gadgets

Jira dashboards make it possible always to view important updates about your projects. With them, Product Managers can quickly spot changes in work items.

Gadgets for Monitoring Changes

Tracking changes in work items on a monthly basis is made easier by using these Jira native gadgets:

• Activity Stream
  Displays a history of recent updates, including status, comments, and more. You can set up the necessary filters and obtain a report of changes. For example, you can use such a filter:

As a result, you will get such a report with changes:

• Filter Results
  Shows a table of issues using a custom JQL filter (like those from Method 1). Key fields changes, such as status, assignee, or priority, can be made visible with the help of this gadget. An example of the report that you may get using this gadget, using a filter that allows you to monitor work items whose status was changed to Done during the previous month:

Why It’s Useful for Product Managers

Dashboards that you may get using Jira's built-in gadgets ensure that you and your team always see the same, real-time information about your project. They enable you to move ahead, identify bottlenecks, and coordinate the team effectively.

Limitations

Although native Jira gadgets are helpful for monitoring, they don’t show the complete change history of all work items. It’s possible to see the latest updates, but there’s no way to view a detailed record of each change.

Method 3: Usage of Issue History for Jira (Work Item History) App

When you need to track every change in your Jira work items, including who updated them and when, you often need something more than Jira’s default tools offer. For this reason, the Issue History for Jira app can be very handy.

This app keeps a detailed history of all the changes made to Jira work items. It is especially beneficial for Product Managers dealing with various teams, who need detailed reports, or those leading complex projects.

Issue History for Jira enables you to view all changes made to your Jira work items in one place. You can track changes in multiple tasks simultaneously, which saves you time and allows you to view all updates more quickly.

Any updates made to a status, change of assignee, time estimates, story points, priorities, or custom fields are tracked by the app.

How It Works

It is easy and fast to generate a monthly report using the Issue History for Jira app. For that, you need to do the following:

• Open the app and select work items by project, assignee, sprint, reporter, and so on.
• Choose work items updated by any user or a specific user.
• Set up the date range needed for your report.
• Get the report with all changes in one place and see who made what changes and when.

You can add any columns needed and export the report in Excel or CSV format for further analysis.

You can also use the Activities gadget by Issue History for Jira app on your Jira dashboard to instantly view recent changes without needing to open the full report.

Why It’s Useful for Product Managers

The app makes it easy to view all the changes and is especially useful for:

• Reviewing updates in several projects.
• Checking for delays or late updates.
• Making thorough reports on a monthly or quarterly basis.
• Noticing that the same tasks keep changing or getting blocked.

You can use this app to see exactly what changes were made, who made them, and when. This helps you make better decisions, keep teams accountable, and build trust with stakeholders.

Limitations

As a third-party app, it must first be installed from the Atlassian Marketplace.

Summing Up

Tracking work item changes in Jira allows Product Managers to oversee the progress of their projects and team activities. With filters, dashboards, or the Issue History for Jira app, you can turn daily updates into helpful monthly data. Select the method that best suits your needs and ensure that no essential changes to Jira work items go unnoticed.