Custom Fields: Jira Time in Status Tracking for Improved Productivity

Custom fields put status time directly on your work items — so you can see it in the issue view, on board cards, and use it in JQL, filters, boards, and Jira's own reports. Link a work schedule and exclude non-working time, giving you accurate, schedule‑aware totals.

Each field measures one set of statuses on one work schedule. You can measure the current status (how long an item has been sitting where it is now) or group several statuses into a metric such as Lead Time, Cycle Time, Active Time, or Time to Resolution.

If you used custom fields before this update, the model has changed. The short version:

• Fields no longer live on a single board filter. They now apply through field schemes + work types, the native Jira mechanism, so they work across every project the scheme covers.

• Custom fields are created and managed from a dedicated admin page, not from the board.

• Each field has its own update schedule (hourly, daily, or weekly) plus an Update now button.

• Your existing fields are migrated automatically — names, IDs, values, and JQL are preserved — but their update schedule is reset, so you'll need to set a schedule to get them refreshing again.

• Field values no longer disappear when an issue reaches the last status on the board. The value remains available instead of being cleared at the end of the workflow.

• The 30-day update limitation is removed. Fields are no longer restricted to updating only issues that were updated within the last 30 days.

• Status transitions no longer trigger an update. Moving an issue from one status to another does not automatically recalculate the field. Updates now happen when the issue is opened, when you click Update now, or according to the field’s configured automatic update schedule.

Open Jira Admin Settings→ Apps → Manage apps → Time in Status → Custom fields.

Open

The page lists every custom field created by the app. If you don't hold the Administer Jira permission, you'll see a restricted message instead of the list — ask a Jira admin to grant the permission to one of your groups.

Click Create new field to open the wizard. It has three steps.

Open

Enter a Field name and an optional Description. The name must be unique among your Jira custom fields — and it's the name you'll use to reference the field in JQL.. Click Next.

Open

This step has three sections.

Where field applies. Pick a field scheme and the work types the field should apply to. You can add more scheme rows to cover multiple schemes, and choose All work types to apply the field to every type. This is what replaces the old board filter — the field now appears wherever the scheme and work types resolve.

What it measures. Choose your Statuses and a Work schedule:

• Current status — measures how long each item has been in whatever status it's in right now. Great for spotting items that are stuck.

• Selected statuses — pick specific statuses to sum into a single metric.

• Work schedule — the calendar used for the calculation. Pick a business calendar to exclude nights, weekends, and holidays, or a 24/7 schedule for raw elapsed time. Schedules come from the app's Work schedule settings.

When it updates. Choose how often the field recalculates:

• Hour — once per hour (no time or time zone needed).

• Day — once per day, at a time and time zone you set.

• Week — once per week, on a day, time, and time zone you set.

The time zone defaults to yours. Click Next.

Open

Select the Jira screens where the field should appear. The table is searchable, and your selections are kept as you page through it. You can also create the field with no screens selected and add them later.

Screens from team‑managed projects aren't listed here — associate the field with those from the project's own settings in Jira.

Open

Click Create. The app creates the Jira custom field, applies it to the chosen schemes and work types, associates the selected screens, and saves your settings. The field is enabled on creation and appears at the end of the list. It won't have any values yet — the first value appears after its first update run (scheduled or manual).

Note. Creating a field does not run an update automatically. Use Update now or wait for the first scheduled run to populate values.

When you select statuses to group, you can build the metric you care about:

• Lead Time — group all statuses from creation to completion (e.g. everything except Done). Shows how long each item takes end to end.

• Active Time — group only the active/in‑progress statuses (e.g. In Progress, In Review, Testing), excluding waiting states.

• Cycle Time — group the delivery phase of your workflow (e.g. from In Progress through Ready for Release).

• Time to Resolution — group from the first active status up to Resolved/Done.

Open

If a grouped status is later removed from your workflow, its time stops counting and the field is flagged for attention. Review your groups after workflow changes to keep the metric accurate.

• Fields update on a schedule you set — hourly, daily, or weekly — configured per field. Each run recalculates every in‑scope item, so values are consistent but may lag real time until the next run.

• There's no update on status change or on opening an item. A field reflects the workflow as of its last run, not the current second.

• Update now runs a full recalculation immediately for that field. Use it when you need fresh numbers before the next scheduled run.

• No schedule = no updates. A field with No schedule set won't refresh until you give it one.

• Disabled ≠ deleted. Turning a field's toggle off stops its scheduled runs, but its values are kept and remain readable and searchable in Jira. To remove a field, use Delete.

Open a field's Actions menu for:

• Edit details — change the name or description.

• Edit settings — change the scope (schemes and work types), what it measures (statuses and work schedule), or the update schedule. Unlike earlier versions, you can now change the work schedule after creation.

• Edit screens — add or remove screen associations.

• Update now — recalculate immediately.

• Delete — move the field to the Jira trash.

Editing statuses or the work schedule doesn't recalculate existing values. Items keep their current values until the next update run finishes. The wizard warns you when a change has this effect.

Open

These steps assume that you have already set up the custom field in Jira and associated it with the board.

1. Access board settings: In the top right corner of your board, click the three dots and select "Board settings".

2. Go to the card layout tab: Navigate to the "Card layout" tab in the board settings.

3. Select the custom field: From the "Field name" drop-down list, choose the custom field you want to view on your board.

4. Add the custom field: Click "Add" to display the custom field on your board.

Open