How can I obtain a Work Item "Start Time" (when it moves from the backlog to In Progress)?

[GCushnahan]

Hi,

I'm trying to workout what my current cycle time (when an issue starts to when it finishes) is for completing work items.

When I extract a .csv of all my issues from Jira, I can get a created date and a resolved date but no date for when the work item starts e.g. when it moves from the backlog to Dev in Progress.

I read somewhere that if the export doesn't provide the relevant data, I "might need Jira administrative access to extract more detailed data, such as workflow transition logs".

Please advise on how I can obtain this "start time".

Many Thanks

[Valeriia_Havrylenko_SaaSJet]

Hi @GCushnahan and great question!

Option 1: Check Issue History Manually

• Open an issue → Go to the History tab under the Activity section.
• Look for the timestamp when the status changed from Backlog (or To Do) → In Progress.

Option 2: JQL to Find Issues That Recently Moved to In Progress

status CHANGED TO "In Progress" AFTER -7d

This will show all issues that transitioned to In Progress in the last 7 days.

Option 3: Time Metrics Tracker

Add-on is particularly well-suited for tracking precise durations between key transitions in your workflow. It provides:

• Custom Time Metrics: You can set up metrics to measure the time between any statuses, capturing nuances like time between multiple "in progress" statuses or between custom delivery statuses.

• Multiple Metrics in One Report: Generate comprehensive reports that reflect several metrics (e.g., Lead Time, Cycle Time, Wait Time) side-by-side.
• Visualizations and Alerts: Enhance understanding with visualizations and optional alerts for exceeding predefined time thresholds.

With add-on, you can create metrics tailored to your unique workflow and export the data for deeper analysis if needed.

Option 4: Time in Status

Time in Status allows you to calculate both Cycle Time and Lead Time with customizable configuration options that adapt to your unique workflow. Here's how:

• Customizable Status Selection: You can include all necessary statuses to calculation, allowing you to account for workflows with multiple starting points or delivery statuses.

 

• Reports Flexibility: Reports can be tailored to reflect specific statuses, time periods, or teams, ensuring that the calculations match your actual workflow.

This flexibility ensures that the app considers the actual design of your workflow rather than relying on predefined assumptions.

---

You can also book a session or contact us at Support - we'll help you with add-ons. 

Add-ons developed by my team.

I hope you find this helpful 🚀

[Ayça Erdem_OBSS_]

Hello @GCushnahan 

Welcome to the community

You're right. Jira’s default export includes Created and Resolved Dates but doesn't track time spent in each status. For single issues, you can check the History tab under "Activity" to find timestamps for status changes, but this is impractical for large datasets.

A simpler solution is Timepiece - Time in Status for Jira, developed by my team at OBSS. It automates workflow transition tracking and cycle time calculations, eliminating manual work or API extractions.

Timepiece provides insights into how long each issue spends in each status or with each assignee. You can also combine multiple statuses to calculate key metrics like Issue Age, Cycle Time, Lead Time, and Resolution Time.

Here is a sample of cycle time reports

image 1 shows hot to define consolidated column

image 2 shows result of the report

The app calculates its reports using already existing Jira issue histories so when you install the app, you don't need to add anything to your issue workflows and you can get reports on your past issues as well. Reports are available via the reporting page, dashboard gadgets, and issue view screen tabs, with both data tables and charts. Timepiece also offers a REST API for seamless integration and supports CSV/XLS exports.

If you'd like to explore this solution further, feel free to check out Timepiece on the Atlassian Marketplace. I’m also sharing our schedule a demo link if you’d like a more detailed walkthrough!

Hope it helps

Ayça

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @GCushnahan -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

That information is in the issue history, but it is not easily accessible (and certainly not exportable).  It can be extracted by calling the REST API...one issue at a time.

Atlassian's built-in interpretation of a Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) can be used to see such measures for software projects, although that report has many challenges.  For more accurate measures, CFDs, and time-in-status type of reporting, customers may use marketplace apps.

If you wanted to specifically export the the date / time when an issue started an "in progress" status, a custom field could be added and an automation rule used to capture when the issue first enters that status.  For issues currently in such a status, the statusCategoryChangedDate field contains that information.  For older / already completed issues, the value could only be found looking in the history.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Danut M _StonikByte_]

Hi @GCushnahan,

Welcome to Atlassian Community.

The info you are looking for is available in the issue history, and not as a field. So you cannot easily export it in CVS. To get the history of the issue you could use the Jira REST API end-points.

You could eventually try the Cycle Time report of Jira, if available in your Jira project.

But an easier way would be to search on Atlassian Marketplace for an app that is capable to measure the cycle time. 

If you are willing to try an app, our Great Gadgets app offers some really useful dashboard gadgets that let you measure the cycle time, lead time, time between two workflow statuses, time in status, etc for the issue in a filter/JQL.

See as an example, this Control Chart gadget showing the completed issues by their cycle time.

These gadgets can display a Data tab with the issues and their cycle time, whihc can be exported in CSV.

See also this article: https://community.atlassian.com/t5/App-Central-articles/How-to-measure-Cycle-Time-and-Lead-Time-in-Jira-or-Confluence/ba-p/2841286

Danut.

[Petru Simion _Simitech Ltd__]

Hi @GCushnahan ,

If you want to implement yourself the logic, and you have Script Runner, you can create a scripted field. The scripted field will parse the issue history and extract the desired outcome, and display it as the value of the calculated field in the issue.

You can then use JQL to extract multiple issues based on certain values for the calculated field.

This will require significant coding and testing to implement. 

If you are open to using apps, you can use Time in Status Dashboard for Jira , an app released by our company.

The Columns perspective will display each issue in a row, and will contain columns for each of the statuses the issue was transitioned into from creation untill the time of running this report. Also you will see how many times the issue was transitioned into each status.

To accurately calculate your cycle, you first need to define what constitutes a cycle within your workflow. This definition may vary depending on your specific design. For example, one cycle might include the statuses 'In Progress' and 'In Testing,' while another cycle could also encompass the initial 'To Do' stage.

Our company takes a flexible approach, recognizing that only our customers truly understand what a cycle means within their unique environment and workflow. Therefore, we provide raw data in a CSV exportable format.

"With this data, you can:

- Add custom columns to represent your defined cycles
- Sum up the time-in-status column results that comprise your cycle

This approach empowers you to accurately calculate your cycle based on your specific workflow and needs.

With our app you can also analyse the data in the Rows perspective, where each time spent in a status will be represented in it's own row.

This way you can order the result by Status, and compare the time spent in that status by multiple issues.

Additionally, our app offers a Rows perspective for data analysis. In this view, each time spent in a status is displayed on its own row. This allows for:

- Easy ordering of results by Status
- Comparison of time spent in a specific status across multiple issues

This perspective provides a detailed, issue-by-issue breakdown, enabling you to identify trends and patterns in your workflow.

Regards, 

Petru