Visualizing Time in Status Data with Charts – FAQ

The Chart Reports view is a visual mode for Time in Status reports. Instead of a grid, you see your data as Pie, Column (Bar), Area, or Sunburst charts.

Use Chart view when you want to:

• Quickly compare statuses, assignees, or groups at a glance.

• Show trends over time instead of just raw numbers.

• Present insights to stakeholders in a visually clear way.

You can switch between Grid and Chart views using the view controls on the report page.

Time in Status supports four chart types:

• 🥧 Pie chart

  • Best for: proportions (parts of a whole).

  • Example: Share of total time spent in each status in a sprint.

• 📊 Column (Bar) chart

  • Best for: comparing categories or periods.

  • Example: Comparing the average time in statuses week by week or between teams.

• 📈 Area chart

  • Best for: trends over time and cumulative changes.

  • Example: Tracking how the total time in “Blocked” changes per month.

• 🌞 Sunburst chart

  • Best for: hierarchical data and Status Groups.

  • Example: Visualizing how total time is split across high-level Status Groups and the statuses inside them.

Pie and Column charts are ideal for quick comparisons, Area for trends, and Sunburst for exploring complex relationships within Status Groups.

To use the chart view:

1. Open Apps → Time in Status.

2. Choose a report type (Time in Status, Average Time, Assignee Time, Status Count, Time in Status per Date, etc.).

3. Configure filters, date ranges, calendars, and columns as usual in Grid view.

4. Switch to Chart view using the view selector (Chart/Graph icon).

Chart view uses the same filters and settings as the grid, so always configure your scope first in the grid and then switch to charts.

All main Time in Status report types can be visualized as charts, for example:

• Time in Status

• Assignee Time

• Average Time

• Status Count

• Transition Count

• Status Entrance Date

• Time in Status per Date

For each, you can choose a chart type (Pie, Column, Area, Sunburst, where applicable) and then adjust metrics and periods to match your analysis goals.

The chart uses precisely the same scope and calculation rules as the grid:

• Filters (Assignee, Filter, Label, Project, Reporter, Sprint, JQL, etc.) define which issues are included.

• Work items period (Created/Updated/Resolved) filter selects the issue list by date.

• Report period defines which time window is used to calculate durations or counts for those issues.

• Calendar (custom work schedule or 24/7) defines how business time is calculated and which time zone is used.

If a chart looks “off” or empty, check those four things first—especially date ranges and filter scope.

In Chart view you can configure the metric and its period:

• Duration – what you measure (for example, total time in status, average time, counts).

• Period – how data is grouped over time (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly) for time-based reports like Time in Status per Date or Average Time.

This is what lets you build charts like:

• Weekly time in “Blocked” per team.

• Monthly average cycle time.

• Daily count of transitions for a specific status group.

Status Groups let you sum multiple statuses into one logical column (e.g., “In Progress”, “Done”, “QA Phase”). To use them on charts:

1. In Grid view, click Columns.

2. Go to the Status Groups tab.

3. Click Add new group, name your group (e.g., “Cycle Time”, “QA”), and select statuses to include.

4. Click Save in Column Manager (and re-save any presets if needed).

Then in Chart view:

• Status Groups appear as separate items with their own colors/segments.

• They are shown in Column, Area, and Sunburst charts.

This is how you visualize cycle time, lead time, or other custom phases, rather than dozens of low-level statuses.

The Sunburst chart is a radial chart that’s perfect for:

• Visualizing Status Groups and the statuses inside them.

• Exploring hierarchical relationships (group → status).

• Comparing proportions within and across groups.

Each ring or segment represents a level in the hierarchy, and each Status Group gets its own section. Use it when you need to explain “where the time really goes” inside a complex workflow.

In Chart view, you can open Chart Options (top-right of the chart) to adjust:

1. Show percentages as labels

   • Replaces numeric labels with percentages of the whole.

   • Tooltips also show percentages when enabled.

   • Helpful when comparing shares rather than raw numbers.

2. Hide labels

   • Removes text labels from the chart for a cleaner, less cluttered look.

   • Tooltips still show detailed values on hover.

   • Useful when presenting high-level summaries or when you have many data points.

These options help tailor the chart to your audience—detailed for analysts, simplified for executives.

The trendline option adds a linear trendline on column (bar) charts only. It:

• Draws a line that best fits the data points over time.

• Updates automatically whenever chart data or filters change.

• Shows the trendline formula and R² value directly on the chart.

Use trendlines when you want to:

• See whether the time in status is trending up or down.

• Evaluate the impact of a process change over several weeks or months.

• Move from “it feels slower/faster” to a measured trend.

The trendline formula looks like:

y = A·x + B | R² = C

Where:

• y – predicted metric (e.g., Time in Status in days).

• x – period number (e.g., week or month index in your chart).

• A – slope: how much the metric changes per time unit.

  • Positive A → metric is increasing over time.

  • Negative A → metric is decreasing.

• B – intercept: starting value when x = 0 (theoretical baseline).

• R² – goodness of fit (0–1):

  • Closer to 1 → the line explains most of the variation (strong model).

  • Around 0.5–0.7 → moderate fit with some noise.

  • Near 0 → no meaningful linear relationship.

Example:
If y = 16.48x + 22.74 | R² = 0.67, the total Time in Status increases by ~16.48 days per period on average, and the line explains ~67% of the variation.

To forecast using the trendline:

1. Identify the x value for the future period you care about (e.g. 5th week or 6th month).

2. Plug it into the formula:

   • y = A·x + B

3. Solve for y to get the predicted value (e.g. predicted total Time in Status).

Use cases:

• Predict future delays if your time in status is trending upward.

• Validate process improvements (trend flattening or going down after a change).

• Support resource planning by showing projected workload.

• Justify management changes with concrete, trend-based data.

Remember: it’s a linear model—great for directional signals, not precise exact forecasts.

You can export charts directly from Chart view:

• Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG.

• Use the export/download option on the chart to generate a file.

PNG/JPEG are ideal for slides and quick sharing, PDF/SVG are better if you need print-quality or want to preserve vector graphics for editing.

Use this quick guide:

• Pie chart – “Who/what takes the biggest share?”

  • Share of time per status, assignee, or status group.

• Column (Bar) chart – “How do things compare by category or over time?”

  • Average time per status by week, total time per team per sprint.

• Area chart – “How is this metric trending?”

  • Long-term trend of time in “Blocked”, resolved issues per month.

• Sunburst chart – “How do groups and substatuses relate?”

  • Time distribution across Status Groups and their internal statuses.

Think about:

• Do you want proportions, comparisons, trends, or hierarchy?

• How many categories do you have (few → pie; many → bar/area; nested → sunburst)?

• Who is the audience (high-level vs detail-oriented)?

Best practices:

• Define a clear question before picking a chart (“Where do we spend most of our time?”, “Is cycle time improving?”).

• Keep chart scope reasonable (avoid thousands of issues in one gadget).

• Use Status Groups to reduce noise from too many raw statuses.

• Use work calendars and business time formats when SLAs and working hours matter.

• Use trendlines for trends, not single-point snapshots.

Pitfalls to avoid:

• Using pie charts with too many segments (quickly becomes unreadable).

• Showing charts without scoping by date, sprint, or team (results are noisy or misleading).

• Ignoring R² and over-trusting a trendline that doesn’t actually fit the data.

• Mixing different workflows or inconsistent statuses in one chart without grouping.

Done well, the Chart Reports view turns your Time in Status data from “Star Wars credits” into a clear story about how your workflow is performing and where to improve.