u/SaaSJet

Jira provides basic time in status gadgets that you can add to your dashboard.

For example, the native Average Time in Status gadget can show the average number of days work items have spent in a status, and the Average Number of Times in Status gadget can show how often work items move into a status. However, they don’t provide deep workflow analytics.

To see where bottlenecks are, where work is slowing down, you usually need to use a Marketplace app.

For example, Time in Status by SaaSJet provides a dashboard gadget that allows teams to display time in status data directly on their Jira dashboard.

Namely, it provides two gadgets:

- Accurate Time in Status (that allows to display different types of time in status reports (Time in Status, Assignee Time, Average Time, Status Entrance Date, Time in Status per Date, Status Count, and Transition Count)

https://preview.redd.it/f2ktwkz1wu1h1.png?width=3338&format=png&auto=webp&s=b949e375dda26dcebb3907d6024e86ba48119d9d

- Burndown Status Tracker (it is a workflow health view that tracks how work moves between statuses and pinpoints where it gets stuck)

https://preview.redd.it/tcu5ax4yvu1h1.png?width=1328&format=png&auto=webp&s=26600cae5da08ac39ca5efb15269b413c3b4a030

These gadgets allow you to track the average time in status across a selected set of issues and view trends by project, sprint, assignee, epic, or JQL filter.

So, if the goal is just basic visibility, Jira’s native dashboard gadgets may be enough. But if you need deeper time in status analytics, you have to use gadgets by Time in Status app.

Jira has limited native functionality for tracking how long issues spend in each workflow status.

To gain deeper visibility, teams often use Atlassian Marketplace apps such as Time in Status by SaaSJet.

Its Average time in status report shows the average time issues spend in each status used in the workflow, helping teams identify bottlenecks and improve workflow efficiency.

https://preview.redd.it/6o79r5w7pa1h1.png?width=1531&format=png&auto=webp&s=a89479feaf7969ac32fd351dd1a56d17190b396e

Moreover, it allows teams to:

• compare working vs waiting time;
• spot bottlenecks such as long review, QA, or approval stages;
• analyze trends by sprint, assignee, epic, or custom JQL filters.

If you need deeper workflow timing analytics, explore Time in Status app by SaaSJet.

Teams often confuse these frameworks. In reality, they all have different goals and solve different problems.

• Lean helps teams eliminate unnecessary work and improve flow.
• Six Sigma helps reduce defects and process variation.
• Agile helps teams adapt to change and learn faster.

Most often, teams combine several approaches or use one to solve a specific problem.

Which approach has had the most impact on your team?

Most teams measure how long work takes.

Fewer teams measure where that time actually goes.

That’s where Working Time and Waiting Time become interesting.

• Working = time in statuses where someone is actively progressing the work.
• Waiting = time in statuses where work is parked: queues, handoffs, approvals, customer/vendor replies, “ready for ___,” etc.

Working vs Waiting tells you why it felt long.

Because in many workflows, the biggest bottlenecks aren’t in execution.

They’re in the waiting.

And once waiting becomes visible, process improvement becomes much easier.

Do you track working time, waiting time… or just total cycle time?

Many teams track task completions but don't track the right metrics.

• Cycle time is the time from the start of work on a task to its completion.
• Lead time is the time from when it was requested until it was delivered.

Teams often include the following statuses in their status group. However, depending on the workflow, the statuses can vary. For example:

Cycle time (in progress - code review - waiting for customer - approval - done)

Lead time (to do - in progress - code review - waiting for customer - approval - done)

Which one does your team track?

Workflow bottlenecks in Jira are often hiding in plain sight. Here are 5 practical tips on how to spot them:

1) Look at where work spends the most time 

For example:

In progress - 2 days

In review - 6 days

And this is often a problem not with development, but with the handoffs between people or teams.

2) Check which issues bounce between statuses.

For example:

In progress - Review - In progress - Review

3) Monitor sprint carryover

If issues keep moving from one sprint to the next, the bottleneck may be in planning rather than execution. 

4) Review overloaded owners

If one person or team is responsible for a certain critical stage of the workflow, and is overloaded - this may be a bottleneck.

5) Compare working time vs waiting time

Teams often optimize execution, although the most delays occur in:

• Reviews
• Approvals
• Dependencies
• Locked states

Often, most teams do not have a problem with productivity, but with visibility.

Hi everyone! I’m from SaaSJet, part of the moderator team behind r/JiraProductivity.

This community is a place for people who work with Jira, Agile teams, workflows, reporting, productivity, and process improvement.

We’re happy to have you here!

What to post

Share anything that could be useful, practical, or interesting for the community:

- questions about Jira workflows, reports, dashboards, or team productivity
- real challenges you face with Agile processes
- tips, lessons learned, or examples from your work
- ideas on how to improve visibility, planning, or collaboration in Jira

Community vibe

Let’s keep this space friendly, helpful, and practical.

You don’t need to be a Jira expert to post here. Simple questions are welcome too.

We’re excited to build this community together 🚀