4. Report Types Explained
Understanding the Seven Report Types
Status Time and Times provides seven different report types, each tailored to address specific challenges about your workflow. This guide helps you choose the most suitable report for your requirements.
Time-Based Reports
1. Time in Status
What it shows: How long each issue spent in each workflow status
Best for: Identifying bottlenecks and analyzing issue flow.
When to Use:
Sprint retrospectives: "Where did our stories get stuck?"
Process improvement: "Which status is causing delays?"
Individual issue analysis: "Why did this bug take so long?"
Quick Insights:
High "In Progress" times = Development bottlenecks
High "Code Review" times = Review process delays
Zeros in status columns = Issues skipped those steps
2. Assignee Time
What it shows: Time spent by each team member across all issues
Best for: Workload balancing and team performance analysis
When to Use:
Resource planning: "Who has the capacity to take on additional work?"
Performance reviews: "What contributions is each team member making?"
Team balancing: "Is the workload distributed equitably?"
Quick Insights:
Uneven distribution = Some team members are overloaded
Zero times for some assignees = Issues assigned but not worked on
High totals = Heavy workload or complex issues
3. Average Time
What it shows: Average processing times across different time periods
Best for: Analyzing performance trends and benchmarking
When to Use:
Long-term analysis: "Are we getting faster over time?"
Forecasting: "What is the estimated duration for resolving similar issues?"
Comparing periods: "Was Q1 more efficient compared to Q2?"
Quick Insights:
Increasing averages = Process is getting slower
Decreasing averages = Team is improving efficiency
High variation = Inconsistent process or issue complexity
4. Time in Status per Date
What it shows: Daily breakdown of time spent in each status
Best for: Daily tracking and detailed timeline analysis
When to Use:
Daily standups: "What happened yesterday?"
Detailed investigation: "When exactly did this issue get stuck?"
Pattern identification: "Do we have consistent slow days?"
Count-Based Reports
5. Status Count
What it shows: How many times each issue has been in each status (including returns/rework)
Best for: Identifying rework patterns and process stability
When to Use:
Quality analysis: "Which issues are bouncing between statuses?"
Process improvement: "How much rework are we experiencing?"
Workflow stability: "Are issues following the expected path?"
Understanding the Numbers:
Count = 1 = Issue visited this status once (normal flow)
Count > 1 = Issue returned to this status (rework/iterations)
Count = 0 = Issue never entered this status (skipped step)
Quick Insights:
High counts in early statuses = Issues being sent back frequently
Multiple "In Progress" counts = Development rework
High "Code Review" counts = Quality issues or review bottlenecks
6. Transition Count
What it shows: How many times issues moved between statuses
Best for: Understanding workflow patterns and rework frequency
When to Use:
Process analysis: "How frequently do issues return?"
Quality assessment: "Are we engaging in excessive rework?"
Workflow optimization: "Which transitions occur most frequently?"
Quick Insights:
High backward transitions = Rework or process issues
Low forward transitions = Potential bottlenecks
Missing expected transitions = Steps being skipped
7. Status Entrance Date
What it shows: When issues entered each workflow status
Best for: Timeline tracking and historical analysis
When to Use:
Historical tracking: "When did we start working on this?"
Timeline reconstruction: "What was the sequence of events?"
Deadline tracking: "When did issues move to 'Ready for Release'?"
Sprint planning: "When did issues transition to 'In Progress'?"
Quick Insights:
Date patterns show workflow timing
Gaps indicate delays or blockers
Clustered dates indicate batch processing trends
Choosing the Right Report
Quick Decision Guide:
Want to find bottlenecks? → Time in Status
Need to balance workload? → Assignee Time
Tracking performance trends? → Average Time
Analyzing rework and iterations? → Status Count
Understanding workflow patterns? → Transition Count
Need detailed timelines? → Time in Status per Date
Tracking project milestones? → Status Entrance Date
Status Count vs. Transition Count
Understanding the Difference:
Status Count: "How many times was Issue-123 in 'In Progress'?" → Answer: 3 times
Transition Count: "How many times did Issue-123 move from 'To Do' to 'In Progress'?" → Answer: 3 transitions
Use Status Count When:
You want to see rework at the status level
Analyzing quality issues causing returns
Understanding iteration patterns
Use Transition Count When:
You want to see the actual flow between statuses
Analyzing the most common workflow paths
Understanding process efficiency
Common Use Cases by Role
Project Manager
Primary Reports: Time in Status, Average Time, Status Count
Focus: Project timelines, resource allocation, delivery planning
Team Lead
Primary Reports: Assignee Time, Transition Count, Status Count
Focus: Team performance, process improvement, workload distribution
Quality Manager
Primary Reports: Status Count, Transition Count, Time in Status
Focus: Identifying rework patterns, quality bottlenecks, process stability
Scrum Master
Primary Reports: Average Time, Time in Status per Date, Status Count
Focus: Sprint planning, daily tracking, retrospective analysis
Developer
Primary Reports: Time in Status, Status Entrance Date
Focus: Individual issue tracking, understanding workflow timing