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2. Getting Started

2. Getting Started

Welcome to Status Time and Times!

This guide will get you up and running in just 5 minutes. There's no complex setup required - let's dive right in!

Step 1: Access the Application

Finding the App

Once installed, you can access "Status Time and Times" in two ways:

Option A: Global Access (For Everyone)

  1. In your Jira navigation bar, look for "Status Time and Times"

  2. Click to open the main reporting interface

 

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Option B: Admin Access (For Administrator)

  1. Go to Jira Settings (gear icon)

  2. Find "Status Time and Times" in the apps section

  3. Access admin features like permissions and calendars

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Step 2: Check Your Access

When you first open the app, you might see a permission check screen. This is normal!

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If You See a Permission Error:

  • Contact your Jira administrator

  • They need to grant you access to the "Reports" module

  • This takes just a few clicks in the admin panel

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If You Have Access:

Great! You'll see the main dashboard with filter options at the top.

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Step 3: Your First Report - Already Ready!

Great news! When you first open the app, you'll immediately see a Time in Status report with default data. No setup required!

What You Will See Immediately:

  • Filter Type: Already set to "JQL"

  • Default Query: Usually something like assignee = currentUser() OR reporter = currentUser() ORDER BY updated DESC

  • Report Type: Pre-selected "Time in Status"

  • Live Data: Your actual Jira issues and their time spent in each workflow status

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Understand Your Instant Results:

The table shows your recent issues and how long they spent in each workflow status.

  • Issue keys in the first column

  • Time values in workflow status columns (like "2d 4h 30m" means 2 days, 4 hours, 30 minutes)

  • Total column on the right show the combined time

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Step 4: Understand Your Results

Reading the “Time in Status” Report:

  • Each row = One issue from your query

  • Each column = A workflow status (To Do, In Progress, Done, etc.)

  • Time values = How long spent in each workflow status

  • Total column = Sum of spent time in all workflow status

Quick Insights from Your Default Data:

  • High numbers in "In Progress" = Issues might be stuck in development

  • Zero time in some statuses = Issues skipped those steps

  • Large "Total" values = Complex issues that spent a long time

Step 5: Understand Time Calculations

Before analyzing your data further, it's important to understand how time is calculated, as this directly affects all the numbers you see.

Calendar Time vs Business Time

The time values you see depend on how your system calculates time:

Calendar Time (Default Setting)

  • Counts 24/7 including weekends, holidays, and nights

  • Example: Issue created at Friday 5 PM and resolved at Monday 9 AM = 2 days 16 hours

  • Shows total elapsed time from start to finish

Business Time (If Work Calendar Configured)

  • Only counts within the configured working hours (e.g., 9 AM - 5 PM, Monday - Friday)

  • Example: The same issue that created at Friday 5 PM and resolved at Monday 9 AM = 1 hour (Friday 5-6 PM only)

  • Shows actual work effort time

How to Identify Your Current Setting

Look at your time values in the report:

  • See times that span weekends/nights? → You're using Calendar Time

  • Times seem shorter and only reflect work hours? → Business Time is configured

Which Time Calculation to Use

Calendar Time Benefits:

  • Better for understanding total project timelines

  • Useful for customer SLA tracking

  • Shows complete elapsed time including delays

Business Time Benefits:

  • Better for understanding actual work effort

  • More accurate for capacity planning

  • Excludes non-productive time periods

How to Change Time Calculation

  • Contact your administrator to configure Work Calendars

  • Admins can set up business hours, holidays, and time zones

  • This affects all reports across the entire app

Step 6: Try Different Views

Now you can try different data views:

Switch to Chart View:

Click the "Chart" button to visualize your time data as graphs.

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Step 7: Explore Other Reports

The "Time in Status" report serves as a starting point. Utilize the "Report Type" dropdown menu to discover various perspectives on your data. Each report is crafted to address specific inquiries.

For Team and Workload Management

  • Assignee Time: Monitor the total time each team member has dedicated to their assigned issues. This feature is invaluable for assessing workload distribution and pinpointing individuals who may be overloaded or underutilized.

  • Status Count: Obtain a concise overview of the number of issues currently in each workflow status. Utilize this information to evaluate the current workload, identify potential bottlenecks (such as an excessive number of items in "In Review"), and track progress towards sprint objectives.

For Process and Workflow Analysis

  • Average Time: Calculate the average time issues spend in each status across a project or filter. This helps you to establish baseline performance metrics and identify which steps in your process consistently take the longest.

  • Transition Count: Count how many times issues have moved between statuses. This is useful for spotting process inefficiencies, such as issues that frequently move back and forth between "In Progress" and "To Do".

  • Time in Status per Date: Analyze how time in status trends change over a specific period (e.g., daily, weekly, or monthly). This is great for checking if process improvements have truly reduced wait times.

  • Status Entrance Date: See the exact date and time when issues entered a particular status. This helps to track SLAs and understand how quickly work gets picked up.

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Common First-Time Questions

"Why do my time calculations seem incorrect?" or "Why are weekends included in the time calculations?"

This is likely normal behavior. By default, the app uses Calendar Time which counts all hours including weekends, holidays, and nights.

Examples of Calendar Time:

  • An issue created Friday at 5 PM and resolved Monday at 9 AM = shows 2 days 16 hours

  • This includes Saturday, Sunday, and overnight hours

If you prefer Business Time calculations:

  • Contact your administrator to configure Work Calendars

  • Business Time only counts actual work hours (e.g., 9 AM - 5 PM, Monday - Friday)

  • The same issue mentioned above will show less time (like 1 hour)

Both approaches are correct - it depends on what you want to measure:

  • Calendar Time = total elapsed time (good for deadlines and SLAs)

  • Business Time = actual work effort (good for capacity planning)

 

"Times look too small - are we missing data?"

If times seem unexpectedly short, your app might be configured for Business Time:

  • Check if weekends and nights are excluded from your calculations

  • Business Time only counts configured working hours

  • Contact your admin to confirm the current setup

 

"I want to see different data?"

  • Change the JQL query in the top field

  • Select different filter types (Assignee, Project, etc.)

  • Try different report types from the "Report Type" dropdown

 

Next Steps

Ready for More?

  • Try Different Queries: Experiment with JQL to focus on specific projects or time periods

  • Explore All Report Types: Each one gives different insights into your workflow

  • Admin Setup: Configure permissions and work calendars for your team

Need Help?

  • Hover over any field label for helpful tooltips

  • Check the FAQ section for common solutions

  • Contact your admin for permission-related issues

 

Success Tips

🎯 Start with What You See

The default report already shows valuable insights - analyze it first before exploring other options.

⏰ Understand Your Time Calculations

Always remember whether you're using Calendar Time (24/7) or Business Time (work hours only). This context is crucial for correctly interpreting your data.

📊 Change One Thing at a Time

Experiment with various report types using the same query, or utilize the same report type with different queries.

🔍 Use Familiar JQL

If you are familiar with Jira filters, please use the same principles when working with the JQL field.

📈 Export for Sharing

Leverage the export feature to incorporate valuable insights into team meetings and reports.

🎯 For Administrators

If you're an administrator and want to configure Business Time calculations for your team, see Chapter 6: Admin Setup for detailed instructions.

Congratulations! You've already seen your first insights! The app is designed to show immediate value - most users find useful patterns in their very first view.