Time in Status report

Key features of Jira Time in Status report

A Time in Status report in Jira dashboard transforms workflow visibility by revealing where work actually gets stuck, enabling teams to identify bottlenecks, optimise flow, and make data-driven process improvements across any Agile framework.

Unlike static reports that show only snapshots of progress, the Time in Status chart provides real-time insights into how long issues spend in each workflow state, automatically updating as your Jira data changes to reflect current system performance.

The Jira time spent in status analysis automatically calculates time distributions based on your team's completed issues, custom status groupings, and flexible time ranges, giving you precise visibility into where delays accumulate and how workflow efficiency evolves over time, all as part of the Agile Cycle Time Chart app.

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How different roles use Time in Status for Jira report

✅ Scrum Master / Agile Coach: I use the Time in Status graph to facilitate retrospectives and spot process inefficiencies. By analyzing how long tasks stay in “In Progress” or “Waiting” statuses, I help the team identify blockers, reduce handoff delays, and improve flow. The ability to drill down by project or assignee helps guide constructive conversations and drive continuous improvement.

✅ Product Manager: I need to understand why delivery slows down. This chart shows where work is getting stuck (like in “Blocked” or “QA Review”), so I can investigate root causes and reprioritize if needed. Grouping statuses and comparing trends over time gives me a clearer view of system health across sprints and initiatives.

✅ Team Lead / Tech Lead: I'm responsible for keeping development flowing smoothly. The Time in Status chart on the Jira dashboard helps me track where bottlenecks form. I use the breakdowns by assignee to help balance the load and make sure no one is blocked or overloaded.

✅ Release Train Engineer / Program Manager (SAFe): Managing delivery across multiple Agile teams means I need visibility into system-wide inefficiencies. With the Jira Time in Status report, I can compare how long tasks stay in various stages across teams. Grouping statuses helps normalize across workflows, so I can monitor coordination, dependency blockers, and delivery flow across the entire Agile Release Train.

✅ Delivery Manager: I oversee sprint execution across several teams and need to ensure throughput remains steady. Jira’s average Time in Status helps me catch hidden bottlenecks before they affect milestones. Seeing trends in how long tasks stay “Waiting” helps with capacity planning and process optimisation.

Spot bottlenecks and boost delivery with the Time in Status report!

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1. Key feature: Total Time in Status across all completed issues

The  Cycle Time report for Time in Status reveals the total amount of time completed tasks are spent in each status during the selected time range (e.g., 6 bi-weeks).

Why it's useful:

• Gives an understanding of the workflow efficiency over time
• Highlights which statuses accumulate the most time (e.g., "Dev Done"). E.g., when projects are delayed, use this chart to pinpoint which statuses are causing the most hold-ups and take action to rebalance workloads
• A stacked bar view makes bottlenecks immediately visible

⚙️Default settings:

• Data source - Initiative
• Interval - last 6 bi-weeks
• Grouping - bi-weekly
• Selected state, which issues were under within reporting time - Completed issues
• Displaying - All In Progress statuses

As you can see in the image above, these tasks spent the most time under “Dev Done”, signaling potential delays or bottlenecks.

Different chart types selection

In some cases, looking only at absolute values might not be enough. To better highlight imbalances and expose hidden bottlenecks, you can switch to a “Ratio” view (1️⃣) where the chart shows the percentage of time spent by period, making comparisons much easier, especially useful for stakeholder reporting.

Additionally, to better understand how your team is performing over time, the chart also supports averages (2️⃣): it calculates the Jira average time in status spent by period, so you can benchmark typical processing times, identify outliers, and set measurable improvement goals.

Different states the issues were in during the reporting time selection

By default, the chart shows “Completed issues” (1️⃣), highlighting how long finished tasks stayed in each status. You can also select “Created issues” (2️⃣) to track how new work moves through the flow, “Open issues” (3️⃣) to focus on tasks still in progress, or “Status-changed issues” (4️⃣) to report on any items that moved between statuses during the selected period. Each option gives a different lens on how work progresses.

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2. Key feature: Custom status grouping

Jira Time in Status report lets you define what statuses to count as “In Progress” vs “Waiting”. This flexibility allows you to customise the chart to your team’s workflow setup:

• You can group statuses into categories for high-level trend analysis (1️⃣ and 2️⃣)
• On the chart, grouped time is visualised as two separate stacks: “In Progress” (1️⃣) and “Waiting” (2️⃣)
• If you customise your statuses (e.g., “QA Review”, “Blocked”), you can assign them to the right group

Why it's useful:

• Custom grouping allows the chart to mirror your real-world process instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all view
• It is an easy and clear way to present to stakeholders, by telling the story of progress vs friction, not just a list of workflow states
• Helps to focus the analysis of bottlenecks

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3. Key feature: Status and issue breakdown hierarchy

Drill down the Jira Time in Status report into detailed breakdowns to understand how time is distributed:

• First, by status group (e.g., “In Progress”, “Waiting”) (1️⃣);
• Then, by individual statuses within that group (e.g., “In Progress”, “Dev Done”) (2️⃣);
• Under each status, see the list of stories that contributed to the time (3️⃣);
• Finally, view the assignee for each issue (4️⃣).

Why it's useful:

• Helps pinpoint specific statuses where delays accumulate
• Makes it easier to trace bottlenecks back to teams or individuals
• Provides full transparency for performance and process review

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4. Key feature: Issue breakdown with flexible columns

Under the Jira Time in Status report, you can explore a detailed issue breakdown table showing detailed metrics per issue:

• View how long each issue spent in each status (1️⃣)
• See the number of transitions between statuses (2️⃣)
• Add optional columns such as epic link, project, priority, and more (3️⃣)

Why it’s useful:

• Enables deep analysis of workflow behavior per issue
• Indicates which issues contributed most to the time spent in a given status
• Helps spot unusual patterns and outliers in status duration
• Gives teams the flexibility to explore data from different angles

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What about native Jira Time in Status report

There is no built-in functionality in Jira to create a Time in Status report with historical trends, groupings, or drill-downs.

With the Time in Status chart gadget from this interactive example, you can:

• Build Time in Status reports for any work scope, across boards, projects, or custom filters
• Visualize workflow bottlenecks and task delays
• See the chart as a gadget on your Jira Dashboard
• Drill down the issue Time in Status report into statuses, issues, transition counts, and assignees
• Select statuses under “In Progress” / “Waiting” groups
• Switch between absolute, percentage, and average time views

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Advantages of using the report for Time in Status

• Total time visibility across completed issues to understand workflow efficiency and identify which statuses accumulate the most delays
• Custom status grouping to align with your team's specific workflow categories (“In Progress” vs “Waiting”)
• Hierarchical drill-down capabilities from status groups to assignees for root cause analysis directly on the Jira dashboard
• Flexible issue breakdown tables with customisable columns including transitions count, status, assignee, priority, epic links, and more
• Multiple chart perspectives with absolute, ratio, and average views to analyse bottlenecks from different angles

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Apps used in this Jira Time in Status report

Use our examples to build your Time in Status report use cases on the Jira Dashboard.

Both Jira apps (plugins) used in these examples have a 30-day free trial and are completely free for teams under 10 people:

Agile Cycle Time Chart Agile Reports and Gadgets

The Agile Reports and Gadgets app includes “Time in Status reports” functionality and a multitude of other reports/charts.