Category of Workflow Statuses, and their Contribution to Reports

[Thomas Schenkel]

1. Is it appropriate, to have more than one 'grey' and more than one 'green' status in workflows?
2. How does the 'green'-coloured status contribute to reports CFD and burndown?

[Nikola Perisic · Accepted solution]

Hello @Thomas Schenkel 

1. Usually it is recommended to have less statuses in the workflow to make them easier

2.Green status in a CFD (Cumulative Flow Diagram) or burndown chart typically signifies a task or item that is completed or done. This color coding helps visually represent the progress of work over time.

CFD (Cumulative Flow Diagram)

• Green represents completed work.
• Blue often indicates work in progress.
• Red may signify tasks that are blocked or stalled.

As the chart progresses, the green area should ideally increase, indicating that more and more work is being completed. A decrease in green might signal a potential issue, such as a backlog of unfinished tasks.

[Thomas Schenkel]

Thanks so far. Looking at CFD's, my question (or concern) is, how do the items contribute dependent on the item-color. I do not question the CFD, I should have arguments whether we should have one or two 'green' status in our workflow (I preferred one).

[Nikola Perisic]

This article should help you understand the CFD better: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-software-cloud/docs/view-and-understand-the-cumulative-flow-diagram/

The more statuses you have, the diagram will be bigger. Which is not something that is practical.

[Thomas Schenkel]

Thank you very much, so the status category does not influence CFD-creation at all, since this process is bound to the board configuration. Great!

[Pears Whims · Accepted solution]

Hey @Thomas Schenkel ,

Great question, let me try elaborate here.

Background

In Jira, status categories are used to group workflow statuses into three broad stages of progress:

• To Do (Grey): represent tasks that have not started yet. Examples include "Backlog" or "Ready for Development."

• In Progress (Blue): indicate tasks that are currently being worked on. Examples include "In Progress" or "Under Review."

• Done (Green): These statuses signify tasks that have been completed or resolved. Examples include "Done," "Approved," or "Cancelled."

For more detailed information on status categories and how they function, visit this link:
https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-articles/Jira-Image-of-the-Day-Status-Categories/ba-p/2646552

1. Multiple ‘Grey’ and ‘Green’ Statuses in Workflows:

It is entirely reasonable to have more than one 'Grey' (To Do) or 'Green' (Done) status in your workflows. Having multiple grey statuses (e.g., "Backlog," "Ready for Development") can help define more detailed stages before work begins. Similarly, multiple green statuses (e.g., "Done," "Approved," "Cancelled") can indicate different ways an issue reaches completion or resolution.

Be cautious when defining multiple green statuses. Ensure each green status has appropriate transitions and properly sets the resolution field, as this will influence Jira reporting and queries based on completed work. Using resolutions, such as "Done" or "Won't Do," helps provide clarity when dealing with multiple "green" statuses.

2. Impact of ‘Green’ Statuses on CFD and Burndown Reports:

In Jira’s reporting, such as the Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) and Burndown Reports, all issues that reach a 'Green' (Done) status are considered completed. The color coding in these reports signifies issue progress:

• Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD): Multiple green statuses will show as completed work in the "Done" section of the flow diagram. The more tasks reach a green status, the higher the "Done" section rises over time.

• Burndown: Green statuses contribute to reducing the remaining work in a sprint. Yet be sure that the appropriate statuses are mapped to the right-most column in your Scrum board, so Jira knows to include them in the burndown calculation.

Please let me know if that helps!

Stay ace,
Pears.

[Thomas Schenkel]

Thanks Pears. Our discussion is around stories, which finished development, but wait for acceptance by the product owner. Currently, both statuses are 'green'. My opinion is, that a not yet accepted story is still not done and therefore should not contribute to CFD's. But, from the development point of view the story is 'done' for daily work in the sprint and has no more remaining work to be done, unless it would be refused by the prpducht owner.

[Pears Whims]

@Thomas Schenkel thanks for sharing more details,

If the story is finished from a development perspective but still awaiting final approval, you could consider changing the status category from "Done" (green) to "In Progress" (blue) and labeling it something like "Waiting for Acceptance" ( or "Acceptance," or "Stakeholder Review" ),

This way, the status won’t contribute to the “Done” section of the CFD or burndown reports until it’s fully accepted. Once the product owner approves, the story can then be transitioned to a true “Done” status.

Would this approach work for your team? Please let me know.

Thank You!

Yours,
Pears.