Archived cards

[Ashley McGee]

When issues are complete within my project, we put them in either the right-most column. The board is filling up and and we need to archive the issues that are considered complete. We want them off of the board, but still want to access them in the future if we need to reference what action was taken/who worked the issue. How can we do this? 

Is the Release button an option?

Please note, we have not used the Resolution field, rather consider something complete when it is moved to the right-most column.

[Brad Kelley]

As a long-time Trello user, I find it difficult to accept this glaring lack of seemingly basic kanban functionality. :/ Apparently Done items are just supposed to continue to grow forever, taking up space in the Done column and force the page to grow to an indefinite length? Our organization is moving to adopt Jira and this is becoming an unnecessary roadblock. Forum post after forum post with the same issue and no resolution. I'm flummoxed.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

What lack of functionality?  The boards and filters all allow you to have "closed" issues disappear, while retaining the ability to find them if you need them, so I'm not sure what you are missing?

[Brad Kelley]

As discussed in this OP, and several others, Jira's kanban lacks the ability to merely archive completed tasks without user gyration or hackery. There needs to be a simple archive mechanism that doesn't require the creation of releases and filters. It's absurd. We've been struggling with this for weeks here, and I had not turned my attention to solving the problem until today, so forgive my frustration. I am deeply disappointed.

[Brad Kelley]

Perhaps I am just not understanding, and approaching this wrong. What should the workflow be?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Trello uses the word "archive" to mean "we're no longer interested in seeing this on the board".   This is ok for a small team with a simple process and no real reporting on what is happening, but it's absolutely the wrong approach in a larger shared system that people are relying on for reporting.

Jira's "archive" means "we don't want to delete this, but we want to stop reporting on it by default".  It should only be done when everyone can agree that the items are no longer of interest (but need to be kept for the rare audit/compliance/historical reports that may be needed)

>merely archive completed tasks without user gyration or hackery.

Yes, because it's supposed to be sharing information on the stuff that needs doing.  If you want to stop reporting on something for your own reasons, you're the person responsible for choosing to ignore it.

You absolutely should change your reporting to suit yourself, but you have to take responsibility for doing what works for you.  Which means setting up the filters you need to do things the way you want to.

If you're going to use a Kanban board, then you should understand that it is aimed at supporting a Kanban process, which includes the concept of "release a bundle of stuff we've done".  Either use the release process as intended, or modify the filters to make it irrelevant.

For your case, I'd suggest adding a "don't care" clause to your board filter.  Assuming the last column on your board contains the status "done", then add something like this to your board filter:  "and not (status in (done) and updated < -7d)" - this will "archive" issues that are done and not changed in the last week automatically, so they won't hang around in your done column.

[Brad Kelley]

In the use case I am describing, the board is for a small group of support engineers. The projects and tasks are largely unrelated, and the concept of a release doesn't apply. I will tinker with defining a release for tasks that are simply "done," just to get them out of the board and "archived." But the idea of having to do that is ridiculous (none of the tasks are related). I think the core issue is we are attempting to use this tool for a task it is apparently not designed for and not suited to.

Example: Changes/additions to SQL Server's Report Manager reports for various business users. This isn't what I would consider a "project;" there is no beginning, no end, etc.

It's almost like the various tasks this group is handling are expected to be in a project board specific to each project, along with other new features and bug fixes under development. But that wouldn't give the group a holistic view of all their tasks... they would be spread around all the various project boards. I don't want to fight against that expectation, and may ultimately recommend we change to that approach, where possible.

Our use case is so close to working in this tool. And my experience is not unique. The original poster's question is found over and over again in the forums.

[Colin Kiehl-Jensen]

I have the same issue - especially when using the Scrum approach in Jira Software. Where Trello enables an easy archive method using Jira it seems that there unfortunately is no good way to copy this like for like.

This thread and a couple of other threads suggests possible work arounds and I guess I will need to work with Jira differently than I did with Trello. Fortunately Jira offers other great functionalities

As this has been a discussion for several years my conclusion is that a similar 'Trello archive option' will not be available in the near future. Can Jira confirm this?

[Jack Brickey]

@Colin Kiehl-Jensen , you may want to contact Atlassian Support and make a suggestion. While there may be a suggestion for this already I did not find one in my quick search. 

[Colin Kiehl-Jensen]

Thanks - will do right away

[Ren Tetrault]

The original poster explains the simple need for archive several times and get so much push back. Why?

I find Jira's Kanban board with Xray integration pretty ridiculous at this point. When making tests the step builder is absolutely stupid in it's functionality. Whether docked or modal 1 inch of space to write anything unless constantly resizing the teeny tiny text boxes? The modal popup itself it tiny. it's pretty useless. Imagine the tests people are doing. Soap UI xml, manual written steps, code, etc. I write 3 words and opps out of space unless i resize, resize, resize. Slide bar disappears never to be seen again unless you completely back out of the card. Heaven forbid you hand touches your mouse, all hell breaks loose.

Back to archiving. Each test, test set, test plan, task, sprint, etc needs to have a simple archive button and just make it F'n go away! re-callable via a search.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

There's no "push back" above, there's a load of help to guide them on how they can get their systems to work better for them and an explanation of why "archiving" has a specific meaning that is not what they're actually trying to do.

>Back to archiving. Each test, test set, test plan, task, sprint, etc needs to have a simple archive button and just make it F'n go away! re-callable via a search.

You've not read the conversation above.  And you can do that, just don't call it "archiving", because it's not.

[Matt Robertson]

Hi Ashley, 

There's a couple of different ways of archiving issues from your board, depending on which kind of board you're using.   Can you tell me if you have a kanban, scrum or agility board ?

[Andrew Durden]

Hey Matthew,

I am having a similar issue specifically with an Agility Board. Can't see to figure out how to archive tickets so they are no longer displaying in the right most column on the board when not needed.

Also had some issues with enabling the Backlog and Sprint features mentioned on this documentation: https://confluence.atlassian.com/jirasoftwarecloud/enable-agile-functionality-945104930.html 

Please let me know if you could help me out. Thanks!

[Ashley McGee]

Hi Matt,

Our project uses kanban boards.  We were thinking about using the release button to remove the tickets from the far right column on the board. Using the release buttons removes all the tickets from the column but they're still accessible/searchable, correct? 

When you look at the page with the previous versions released, what is the archive button for?

Thank you!

Ashley

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Release simply stamps the issues with a version, so that the board "sub-filter" drops them from the board.  It won't affect anything else, the issues don't change in other ways.

[Jack Brickey]

yes you can continue to find all "released" issues. From the Kanban board perspective the Release simply groups the done issues under a fix version and 'hides' them from the board. You can easily find all issues via search. 

The Archive is a function that hides a Fix version from the Fix Versions field so that the field doesn't continue to grow w/ old released versions.

[Matt Robertson]

Hi Andrew,

For agility boards if issues will automatically archive 14 days after they are completed - moved to the last column on the board.  If the agility board is using sprints issues won't automatically archive but the board will only show issues in the currently active sprint.

It'd be best to raise a new question about enabling sprints and backlogs, don't want to take this one too far off topic :) .