Workflow Usage Patterns Report
- Margaux Fiche
This report pulls information from the history of each issue. We gather the data from all of the issues and show the cumulative movement in this report. The interactive chart at the top is called a Sankey diagram. It gives you a visual picture of where work goes when it leaves a workflow state and how often it went there. One workflow state is highlighted upon loading. When you click on a status on the left, the chart updates to show bands indicating how many times an issue went to a particular state on the right. The table at the bottom gives you a text-based view of the same information.
If an issue revisits workflow states multiple times, that movement will be reflected in this data. So, you can see the backward movement as well as forward movement of issues through your workflow.
How to access this report?
The Workflow Usage Patterns Report is only available at the project level. To access this report, click on "Workflow Usage Patterns" in the project navigation sidebar.
How to use the report?
Often we set up a workflow with a particular process in mind. Though workflows can be configured to force you through that process, often we prefer to have a little flexibility. This report gives you the ability to have that flexibility yet still keep an eye on how the workflow is used. You will learn if certain statuses aren't used as expected or at all. Understanding how the actual workflow differs from the perceived workflow is key for retrospectives. Your board should always reflect reality and current process. If this isn't the case, you could be missing out on seeing opportunities for improvement.
Scenario 1: If work moves directly from "Workflow step A" to "Workflow step C", you might have a conversation to find out why "Workflow step B" is routinely being skipped. You could discover that more education is needed on the intent of the workflow and why "Workflow step B" is important. Or, you might find out that "Workflow step B" isn't as useful as you thought and it can be removed from your workflow.
Scenario 2: You notice that work is regularly moving from "Workflow step C" back to "Workflow step B". This could indicate a problem with work quality that needs to be addressed. It could also indicate that "Workflow step B" and "Workflow step C" are part of a cyclical process in your overall workflow. In that case, you might decide to leave it as is or change your workflow to have a single status that represents that overall cycle.
This report is all about giving you information on what's going on so you can learn more about how work is really done and what you can do to improve for the future.