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The default To Do, In Progress, and Done statuses work for simple project management processes. However, as time passes and workflows become more complex, you may need more detail and add stages such as In Review, Ready for QA, or Waiting for Approval. The challenge is to provide enough detail to make work visible without turning the workflow into a maze.
This guide shows how to add, edit, and manage custom statuses in Jira. It also explains status categories and naming. It then shows how to gate status changes and how to automate them.
Note
Looking for information on Jira’s service availability? Check the Jira status page for current outages and incidents. This guide is about work item statuses, the stages work items move through inside Jira.
Adding Custom Statuses in Jira: Key Takeaways
- Add a status only for a meaningful process stage, a handoff, or a waiting state. Skip small actions.
- Every status belongs to one of three categories: To Do, In Progress, or Done. Boards, filters, and reports read the category.
- Team-managed spaces give the team more control and make statuses easier to add. Company-managed spaces share workflows across teams, so one edit can affect many spaces.
- Use a short, consistent name. Reuse an existing status when the meaning is the same.
- If a status change should depend on specific checks, set up workflow rules for validation. Smart Checklist for Jira adds validators for checklist items inside work items.
What Are Jira Statuses?
Definition
A Jira status is the current stage of a work item in its workflow. A custom status is one you add to the defaults to match a real step in your process.
A Jira workflow defines how work moves from start to finish. It includes workflow statuses and the transitions that connect them. Take this simple path:
In Review is a status. The step from In Progress to In Review is a transition.
Jira spaces created from templates come with default workflows and statuses. The most common configuration is To Do, In Progress, and Done.
Note
Atlassian now calls issues work items, and many teams refer to them as tickets. “Jira ticket status” or “Jira issue status” means the same thing as “Jira work item status.”
What Are the Status Categories in Jira?
Jira groups every status into one of three fixed categories.
| Category | What it represents | Example statuses |
|---|---|---|
| To Do | Work that has not started | Backlog, Selected for Development, Ready for Development |
| In Progress | Work that is moving through the process | In Progress, In Review, Testing |
| Done | Work that is complete | Done, Closed, Canceled |
You can create many statuses inside each category. In Review and In QA can both sit in In Progress.
Categories matter because boards, filters, reports, and apps read the category, not the status name. They also set the status color. That lets you build a detailed workflow and still keep a clear split between not started, active, and finished work.
Choose the category by what the status means in practice. A status called Waiting for Review should stay in In Progress if the team still treats that work as active. A wrong category skews reports.
What Is the Difference Between a Jira Status and a Resolution?
A status shows where a work item sits in the workflow. A resolution field records how the work ended.
Two work items can both finish in Done and still have different resolutions, such as Fixed, Duplicate, or Won’t Do. You rarely need a separate final status for every outcome. A few completion statuses plus the right resolutions are easier to read and report on.
One caution applies. If a work item reaches a Done-category status without a resolution, it can look unfinished in filters and JQL queries that use “resolution is empty”.
When Do You Need a New Custom Status in Jira?
Add a custom status when the current workflow has no step for something that matters in your process. The best statuses mark a change of ownership, a new type of work, or a clear gate.
When Should You Use a Status Instead of a Field, Label, or Checklist?
- Use a status for a process stage that people need to see on a board, report on, or control through transitions.
- Use a custom field to record an attribute, such as severity, customer, release, or approval owner.
- Use a label for light classification that needs no workflow behavior.
- Use a checklist when several actions belong inside one work item but do not need separate board states. Smart Checklist for Jira can also make checklist items mandatory before a transition.
Custom Status Examples for Software Teams
- In Review: Use it when a work item is waiting for a code review (peer review, PR review) before it can move forward. This makes review queues visible and helps teams spot bottlenecks.
- Ready for QA (or Ready for Testing): Use it when development is done and the work item is ready for the testing phase. It’s a clean handoff from engineering to QA.
- In QA (or Testing): Use it when QA is actively validating the change. This is helpful if testing takes time and you want to track test execution separately from “Done.”
- Waiting for Approval: Use it when the next step depends on a sign-off. This keeps approval delays visible.
- Blocked (optional, but often useful): Use it when progress is impossible due to dependency, environment issues, missing access, or external approvals. Jira Blocked status prevents “stuck work” from hiding inside generic statuses like “In Progress.”
How to Add a Custom Status in Jira
Adding a Custom Status in a Team-Managed Space
The easiest way is to open your board and click the Add status (+ icon) next to the rightmost column. Type in the new status name, select the status category, and click Submit. Then drag the new column, which represents the new status, to the right place.
You can also add a status in the workflow editor. Go to Space settings, then Work types. Choose a work type and select Edit workflow. Use this route when you need more control over how work moves into the status.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- To manage workflows and statuses in a team-managed space, you need Admin rights.
- Some teams keep To Do work in the backlog. If no column represents the backlog on the board, it will be visible only on the Backlog tab.
Adding a Custom Status in a Company-Managed Space
- Go to the Space settings.
- Open Workflows, find the workflow, and select Edit workflow.
- Use the diagram view and select Add status.
- Choose an existing status or name a new one.
- Select its status category.
- Decide if work items in any status can move to it. Then click Add.
- Select Update workflow.
If you allow all transitions to this status, people can move work into the new status from anywhere in the workflow. That is fast, but it skips your process order. If the option is off, you must add specific transitions into the status. Select the arrows on the diagram to adjust them. Later in this article, we explain how to restrict transitions and add validators.
Company-managed spaces suit organizations that need the same workflows across teams. That comes with two conditions. You need Jira admin rights, or the Edit Workflows permission if no other space uses the workflow. You also have to edit shared workflows with care, because a change affects every space that uses them. The affected spaces are listed in the upper left corner of the workflow editor.
Learn more about managing workflows in our guide to Jira workflows.
Should You Use Team-Managed or Company-Managed Statuses?
| Team-managed | Company-managed | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Autonomous teams | Standard processes across teams |
| Who owns the workflow | The team or space admin | Jira admins or users with workflow permissions |
| Setup | Simpler and self-contained | More centralized and reusable |
| Sharing across spaces | Limited | Strong, through shared workflows and schemes |
| Good choice when | One team needs flexibility | Many teams should follow one process |
How Should You Name Custom Jira Statuses?
A status name should tell people what state the work is in without an explanation. A few rules help:
- Keep names short and specific.
- Use one naming pattern across the workflow.
- Avoid near-duplicates such as In Review, Reviewing, and Under Review, unless they are different stages.
- Prefer names for real states, handoffs, and waiting points.
- Check that teams outside the original space would understand the name if the workflow is shared.
How Do You Edit, Rename, or Delete a Custom Status in Jira?
To edit the status name or category in either company-managed or team-managed space, go to the workflow editor, select a status, and click the pen and paper icon next to its name or category.
To delete a status in a team-managed space, click the three dots next to the corresponding column name and select Delete Status. Jira will prompt you to select a new home for the work in this status.
Removing a status in a company-managed space is more complex. Go to Space settings > Workflows, then select the workflow and click Edit workflow. Choose the status to remove and click Remove at the bottom of the right sidebar that opens.
How to Keep Jira Statuses Up to Date with Automation and Validators?
Rules and Validators in the Workflow Editor
The workflow editor has workflow rules that shape a transition. Restrict transition rules decide whether a move is allowed. Request input and Validate details rules collect and check information first. Select a transition, open its properties panel, and add rules to control when it can be used.
The automation options include triggers and perform actions. Triggers move a work item when something happens in a connected development tool, such as a pull request being created, merged, declined, or reopened. Perform actions (previously called post functions) rules run after someone transitions the work item. They can assign the work item, update field values, trigger a webhook, etc.
Jira Automation Flows
A flow can automate status changes. Here are several examples:
- Move a work item to In Progress when someone is assigned. Use the Work item assigned trigger and the Transition work item action.
- Move a work item to In Review when a pull request is created. Use the Pull request created trigger and the Transition work item action. GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket Cloud must be connected to Jira.
- Assign the right person when work enters Blocked. Use the Work item transitioned trigger and the Assign work item action.
- Notify the team when a status changes. Use the Work item transitioned trigger and the Send Slack message or Send Microsoft Teams message action. Add a condition to limit it to high-priority work items.
For practical automation examples and patterns, read our guide on Jira automation use cases.
Smart Checklist capabilities
Many of the checks teams employ are steps people must complete before the work proceeds to the next status. You can put those into a checklist inside the work item. With a validator, the checklist can gate the transition.
For example, a team may want a work item to move from In QA to Ready for Release only after:
- acceptance criteria are verified;
- regression testing is complete;
- release notes are prepared;
- required approvals are recorded.
Smart Checklist for Jira can enforce such a checklist with its own workflow validators. A validator blocks a transition while checklist items are incomplete. It can require all items, only the mandatory items, or all items under a named checklist header or tab.
While setting up the validator, you can specify the message the user will see when trying to change the status before the condition is satisfied.
Read our blog to learn more about approval workflows with checklist validators.
Smart Checklist can also automate status changes. Consider a Jira automation flow that moves a work item to Ready for Release when its QA checklist is done. To build one, you can use:
- the Field value changed trigger on the Smart Checklist Progress field.
- a condition that checks that the checklist is complete.
- the Transition work item action.
See our documentation for more details.
Keep Custom Jira Statuses Simple Enough to Stay Useful
Custom statuses work best when they make the process easier to understand. A good workflow does not turn every action into a state. Its statuses mark meaningful stages, handoffs, gates, and waiting points. That makes boards easier to read and gives you cleaner data.
Once you add a status, check whether a workflow rule, an automation flow, or a Smart Checklist validator can keep the work going through. They enforce the process without adding extra manual work, making it easier to manage.
FAQ on Custom Jira Statuses
This usually comes down to permissions. In a team-managed space, you need Admin rights to manage workflows and statuses. In a company-managed space, you need space admin or Jira admin rights. Ask your admin to check your access.
How do I change the status of a Jira issue?
There are two ways. Open the work item and use the status dropdown in the top right corner, or drag the card to another column on a Jira board grouped by status. You can only pick a status your workflow allows from the current one. If a status is missing, the workflow has no transition to it, or a Restrict transition rule hides it.
Can one board column contain several statuses?
Yes. A column can map to more than one status. This helps teams simplify their board visual layout while keeping detailed workflow behind the scenes. In a team-managed space, select More actions (…) on the board, then Configure columns. Pick the column and select Add status.
What is the difference between Closed and Done in Jira?
The names do not decide how Jira treats a status. The category does. If both statuses sit in the Done category, boards and reports show both as done. Set a resolution too, so Jira counts the work item as resolved.
Can Jira move work items between statuses automatically?
Yes. Automation flows in Jira Automation can react to events and change statuses. For example, a flow can move a work item to In Progress when someone is assigned. In company-managed spaces, workflow triggers can also move work items when development events happen. The workflow still decides which transitions are allowed.
Can I see how long work stays in each status?
Partly. In company-managed spaces, the Control Chart shows how long work items spend in the statuses you select. Team-managed spaces do not have it. For open work items, Atlassian Insights offers a Time-in-status history dashboard template. A Marketplace app is another option. Dashboards also offer an Average Time in Status gadget for resolved work items.
How do I set a resolution when work moves to Done?
In a company-managed space, add a rule to the transition into Done. Use Request input and Show a screen to let people pick a resolution. Or use a Perform actions rule that sets one fixed value. In a team-managed space, Atlassian recommends a Jira Automation rule that sets the resolution when work moves to Done.
Can I use the same status in more than one workflow?
Yes. A status can belong to several workflows. Jira warns you before you change a status that other workflows use. You can review those statuses in Jira admin settings under Work item attributes, then Statuses.
Should I use a Blocked status or a flag in Jira?
Add a Blocked status when stuck work needs its own owner or action. It gets its own board column and its own transitions, so it stays visible instead of hiding inside In Progress. If blockers are short-lived, flag the work item instead. A flag turns it yellow on boards and in backlogs without changing its status. Add a comment to explain why.
