Time in Status in Jira Data Center: What is it and how to track?

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Tracking time in status means understanding how long each issue spends in every step of its workflow—To Do, In Progress, Code Review, Testing, and so on. It sounds simple, but the value it brings is anything but basic.

In large Jira environments with multiple teams and complex workflows, this data becomes essential. Here's what teams can actually do with it:

Spot Bottlenecks Fast

If issues are sitting in “In Review” for days while dev time is only a few hours, that’s not a development problem—it’s a handoff problem. Time in status highlights exactly where work stalls.

Make Workflows Make Sense

Too many statuses? Unclear ownership? Repeated delays in “Waiting for QA”? Time in status data shows where your process creates drag, so you can simplify it. Less guesswork, more flow.

See the Real Cycle Time

The total time to complete an issue isn’t enough. Where did that time go? Time in status breaks it down and shows you whether it’s dev work, testing, backlog waiting, or idle time that’s eating your delivery window.

Plan Smarter

Knowing how long similar work has actually taken—broken down by workflow steps—leads to better estimates. It's not just about gut feel anymore.

Retrospectives with Teeth

Bring data to the table: “We’ve spent 35% of our sprint in ‘In Progress’ and 40% in ‘Waiting for Review’—what’s going on?” These aren’t vague feelings; they’re patterns you can act on.

Compare Without Micromanaging

Different teams handle similar work. Time in status gives you a non-invasive way to see which approaches move faster, and which ones need help, without diving into individual tasks or micromanagement.

Catch Risks Before They Snowball

Issues stuck too long in early statuses? That’s a delay in the making. Status time helps you catch the warning signs early.

Time in status isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation for understanding how work really flows through your teams. If you care about speed, clarity, and improving delivery, this is where you start looking.

How to calculate time in status in Jira Data Center?

Jira doesn’t offer good native tools for this. That’s where Time in Status app comes in—a focused reporting add-on that lets you break down and analyze time in status data in flexible, actionable ways.

Here’s what it gives you:

✅ 1. Choose From 7 Powerful Report Types

• Time in Status Report
  Shows how long each issue spent in every status, with a total task time.
• Average Time Report
  Breaks down average time per status across a filtered set of issues.
• Status Count Report
  Tracks how often issues hit each status in a selected period.
• Time in Status per Date
  Sums up how much time issues spent in each status during a chosen time window.
• Assignee Time Report
  Reveals how long issues stayed in each status while assigned to specific users.
• Transition Count Report
  Shows how often issues transitioned between statuses—helps spot churn or loops.
• Status Entrance Date Report
  Lists when each issue entered specific statuses—essential for timeline reconstructions.

🎯 2. Filter the Data You Actually Care About

Narrow down by:

• Assignee
• Project
• Reporter
• Sprint
• Epic
• Custom Filters

You can also choose specific Created / Updated / Resolved date ranges to focus your analysis.

📆 3. Set Work Schedules

Apply a custom calendar or choose a 24/7 default to match your team's working hours. Great for distinguishing real delays from just weekends or holidays.

⏱️ 4. Choose Time Formats That Fit Your Workflow

Display status durations in:

• Minutes
• Hours + Minutes
• Decimal Days / Weeks
• Business Time formats (e.g., Business Decimal Days), etc.

For deeper analysis or Excel work, use decimal formats.

🧩 5. Sort, Customize, and Analyze

• Sort any column to see longest times, most frequent statuses, etc.
• Column Manager lets you include/exclude issue fields, group statuses, and manage how the data is presented.
• Pivot Table View gives a more advanced breakdown with drag-and-drop report building.
  

📊 6. Visualize It Your Way

All reports are available in both grid and chart views, including:

• Pie Charts.
• Bar Charts.
• Area Charts.
• Sunburst Charts for exploring nested status groups.

📁 7. Export & Save Your Work

• Export as XLSX or CSV for use in Excel, Google Sheets, etc.
• Save frequently-used configurations for quick reuse.

• Display live data using the Time in Status Gadget right on your Jira dashboard.

💡 Wrapping Up

Time in status isn't just another metric—it’s the foundation for understanding how work actually moves through your system. Whether you're fixing slowdowns, improving team coordination, or making smarter plans, this is the data that helps you stop guessing and start improving.

Time in Status for Jira Data Center gives you the visibility to make it happen—without the fluff, without performance headaches, and without extra complexity.