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Metrics to Track Before Year-End: Boost Your Next Year's Success

Metrics to Track Before Year-End: Boost Your Next Year's Success

📝 Context: A product development team uses Jira to manage workflows and tasks. At the end of the year, the team wants to analyze their performance over the past year to improve the workflow for the upcoming year and to present their achievements to stakeholders.

📝 Context: A product development team uses Jira to manage workflows and tasks. At the end of the year, the team wants to analyze their performance over the past year to improve the workflow for the upcoming year and to present their achievements to stakeholders.

🤔 User Problem: The team struggles to efficiently track their progress, bottlenecks, and performance metrics, leading to difficulty in setting realistic goals for the next year and highlighting key achievements to stakeholders.

🤔 User Problem: The team struggles to efficiently track their progress, bottlenecks, and performance metrics, leading to difficulty in setting realistic goals for the next year and highlighting key achievements to stakeholders.

💡 Solution

🎯 1. Plan Smarter for the New Year

Metrics are the crystal ball that lets you see what’s coming. Want to hit the ground running in January? Use year-end data to set realistic goals and benchmarks. 🚀

  • Example: Track Cycle Time to see if your team meets deadlines and adjust processes to shave off those extra hours.

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Why it matters: You can’t improve what you don’t measure. And trust us—future you will thank you for laying the groundwork now. 👏

🎯 2. Spot Trends and Fix Pain Points

Is your "QA" status a Bermuda Triangle where tasks disappear? Is "In Progress" looking more like "In Perpetuity"? Year-end metrics help you identify patterns that were easy to miss during the hustle of day-to-day operations. 🔍

  • Example: Use Time in Status to see how long tasks sit idle and why. Are approvals taking forever? Are deployments dragging? Knowing is half the battle.

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Why it matters: Every bottleneck you uncover now is one less headache in 2025. 🛠️

🎯 3. Impress the Big Bosses (and Stakeholders) with Sprint  Reports

Let’s face it—end-of-year presentations are your time to shine! Stakeholders are expecting data, insights, and proof that your team has been crushing it. With the Sprint Performance Report, you’ll have all the tools you need to deliver the goods and wow your audience. 📈

This feature offers a comprehensive view of sprint activities, tracking key metrics like team velocity, workload distribution, completion rates, and even scope changes. It’s your all-in-one solution to highlight what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next for your team.

Example: Use the Sprint Performance Report to show your team’s progress based on Story Points, Issue Count, or Original Time Estimates—whichever estimation method aligns with your workflow. With visualizations like the Team Velocity graph, you can demonstrate how your team has improved sprint over sprint and where resources need to go next year.

Why it matters: Nothing says “I’ve got this” like a data-packed, visually stunning report that leaves no doubt you’re in control of the numbers. Plus, with all the insights at your fingertips, you’ll not only impress stakeholders but also position your team for even greater success in 2025. 🏆✨

🎯 4. Motivate and Recognize Your Team

Year-end metrics aren’t just for the suits upstairs—they’re for your team, too. Recognize top performers, celebrate wins, and use the data to have honest conversations about areas for improvement. 🌟

  • Example: Use Pivot view to estimate the average value of In Progress status by period (week, month, day, etc.). Thus, you will see how the average time of tasks in the In Progress status changes by period for each team member and the whole team. 

  • Or, use Average Time in Status report in the grid view, so you can show the average values for the team's statuses as a whole. And with the help of pre-created Status Groups, you can see how the indicators of various time metrics, such as Lead and Cycle time, have changed.

  • You can also visualize all these indicators using a chart to get a better picture and make informed decisions about improving workflow.

Why it matters: A motivated team is a productive team. Plus, who doesn’t love a little recognition? 🥳

🎯 5. Kick Off the New Year Right: Create a Time in Status Dashboard

Ah, the start of a new year—a fresh slate full of possibilities, goals, and probably a tiny bit of leftover holiday chaos. 🎉 But if you’re ready to take your team’s efficiency to the next level, a well-crafted Time in Status dashboard can be your secret weapon for 2025. Think of it as your team’s crystal-clear roadmap for success, all in one place! 🗺️✨

Why Create a Dashboard?

A Time in Status dashboard isn’t just another Jira gadget. It’s your control center for tracking team performance, spotting bottlenecks, and optimizing workflows in real time. By organizing key metrics and reports into a single view, you can make smarter, data-driven decisions without endlessly hunting for insights. 📊

Key Benefits of a Time in Status Dashboard:

  • Real-Time Insights: Stay updated on your team’s performance metrics without running new reports every time.

  • Customization: Tailor the layout to focus on metrics that matter most to your team (e.g., Time in Status, Average Time, Workload Distribution).

  • Better Planning: Use historical data to set achievable benchmarks and track progress towards goals.

What to Include in Your Jira Dashboard

  1. Average Time in Each Status

Use a pie chart to visualize how long tasks typically spend in key statuses (e.g., “In Progress,” “Review”). This helps you quickly identify bottlenecks. 🍕

  1. Time in Status Reports

Include both chart views (for visual learners) and grid views (for those who love details). These allow you to track trends, dive into individual task metrics, and optimize processes.

  1. Monthly Trends

Track how your team’s performance evolves over time. Are tasks moving faster? Where are delays increasing? A trends chart keeps you on top of changes. 📈

  1. Customizable Filters

Use filters to slice and dice data by assignee, project, or status category. This way, you can zoom in on the areas that need the most attention. 🔍

🛠️ How Time in Status Reports Enhances Year-End Planning

Gain Insights Beyond Jira’s Native Features

TIS overcomes Jira Cloud’s limitations by providing deep insights into time spent in workflows, helping you make data-driven decisions. 🌐

Comprehensive Historical Data

Analyze trends over time to identify what worked and where improvements are needed. Use historical data to set realistic KPIs for the coming year. 📊

Flexible Reporting for Every Team

From team leads managing workflows to C-level executives seeking high-level insights, TIS caters to every level of your organization. Export reports in XLS/CSV formats for detailed analysis. 📤

📈 Outcomes:

  1. Smarter Planning for the New Year: By using the Year-End Time in Status metrics, the team tracks critical metrics like Cycle Time and Lead Time to assess how effectively they met deadlines throughout the year. With these insights, they set achievable goals for the upcoming year, improving processes and reducing inefficiencies.

  2. Spotting Trends and Addressing Bottlenecks: Through Time in Status reports, the team identifies specific statuses (e.g., "QA") where tasks frequently stall. By uncovering these bottlenecks, they can fix the underlying issues before the new year starts, ensuring smoother workflows.

  3. Impressing Stakeholders: With the Sprint Performance Report, the team presents comprehensive insights into their performance, such as team velocity, workload distribution, and scope changes, making a strong case for the team’s accomplishments in front of stakeholders.

  4. Team Motivation and Recognition: The team uses metrics such as Average Time in Status to identify top performers and areas for improvement. Recognizing achievements fosters a positive work culture and boosts team morale going into the new year.

  5. Real-Time Monitoring in the New Year: They set up a customized Time in Status dashboard that provides real-time insights into team performance, trends, and bottlenecks. This allows them to optimize workflows and respond quickly to issues as they arise, ensuring a more productive year ahead.

📈 Outcomes:

  1. Smarter Planning for the New Year: By using the Year-End Time in Status metrics, the team tracks critical metrics like Cycle Time and Lead Time to assess how effectively they met deadlines throughout the year. With these insights, they set achievable goals for the upcoming year, improving processes and reducing inefficiencies.

  2. Spotting Trends and Addressing Bottlenecks: Through Time in Status reports, the team identifies specific statuses (e.g., "QA") where tasks frequently stall. By uncovering these bottlenecks, they can fix the underlying issues before the new year starts, ensuring smoother workflows.

  3. Impressing Stakeholders: With the Sprint Performance Report, the team presents comprehensive insights into their performance, such as team velocity, workload distribution, and scope changes, making a strong case for the team’s accomplishments in front of stakeholders.

  4. Team Motivation and Recognition: The team uses metrics such as Average Time in Status to identify top performers and areas for improvement. Recognizing achievements fosters a positive work culture and boosts team morale going into the new year.

  5. Real-Time Monitoring in the New Year: They set up a customized Time in Status dashboard that provides real-time insights into team performance, trends, and bottlenecks. This allows them to optimize workflows and respond quickly to issues as they arise, ensuring a more productive year ahead.

If you need help or want to ask questions, please contact SaaSJet Support or email us at support@saasjet.atlassian.net

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