Custom issue workflows

A workflow is the set of stages a piece of work passes through, such as To do, In progress, In review and Done. Custom workflows let you rename those stages, add new ones and decide which moves are allowed. For example, a content team might add an "Approval" stage that only an editor can move work out of, while a support team keeps a shorter path. Jira is one tool that supports this.

Every team has its own way of working, and a fixed set of statuses forces people to work around the tool. When the board mirrors how work really flows, everyone can see where things get stuck and who needs to act next. You need this when work has approvals, hand-offs or compliance steps. If your process is simply to do, doing and done, the default workflow is usually enough and extra stages only add admin.

• Ask whether each type of work can have its own workflow or whether all work shares one.
• Check whether transitions can be restricted to certain people or roles.
• Test whether a transition can require a field, such as a reviewer, before it goes through.
• Find out who is allowed to edit workflows and whether changes affect work already in progress.