Overview

The WIP Aging Charts gadget plots each in-progress issue as a point on a scatter chart. The X-axis groups issues by status or board column; the Y-axis shows how long each issue has been in its current state. Reference lines mark your average, SLA threshold, and statistical percentiles so outliers are immediately visible.

Feature	Description
Scatter Plot	One dot per issue - X-axis = status or board column, Y-axis = age
5 Age Calculation Methods	Time since last entry, sum of all occurrences, category sum, category first entry, time since creation
Three Reference Lines	Average, Threshold (with configurable value), and Percentile lines (5% to 99%)
Data Table View	Switch from scatter plot to a tabular view of all WIP items with age details
Log Scale Option	Compress wide age ranges for better readability
Status Ordering	Custom left-to-right status order via comma-separated list

How to Read the Chart

Each dot = one WIP issue
X position = which status it is in
Y position = how long it has been in its current status
Dots above the threshold line = SLA risk - these need attention
Clusters near the bottom = normal, healthy WIP
Sparse dots high up = stalled or forgotten work

Action pattern: Review dots above your threshold line in each daily standup. Ask "what is blocking this?" for anything past the line.

Data Sources

Source Type	When to Use
Projects	Analyze all WIP issues in one or more Jira projects
Board	Scope to a Jira Software board - the board's own filter is applied automatically
Saved Filter	Use a pre-saved filter to scope which issues appear
Custom JQL	Write precise JQL (e.g., `status not in (Done, Closed, Cancelled)`)
Dynamic Filter Controller	Connect to a shared filter bar for interactive slicing

Display Configuration

Chart By

Choose how the X-axis groups issues:

Option	X-Axis Groups
The statuses of the work items (default)	One column per workflow status - shows age per stage
The columns of the selected board	Groups issues by the board column they belong to - useful when multiple statuses map to the same board column

Age Calculation Methods

The Age Calculation Method controls what "age" means for each issue - this is the most important config decision for WIP Aging.

Method	What It Measures	Best For
Time since last entry in current status	How long the issue has been in its current status continuously	Standard "how long in this status now"
Sum of all time in current status	Total accumulated time ever spent in this status, across all visits	Issues that bounce back - counts re-entry time too
Sum of all time in the category of current status	Total time across all statuses in the same category (e.g., all "In Progress" statuses)	Category-level aging (Cycle Time proxy)
Time since first entry in current status category	Clock starts from the first time the issue entered this category	Lead time measurement from category start
Time since work item creation	How long since the issue was created - regardless of current status	Total issue age / oldest backlog items

Age Display Options

Option	What It Controls	Default
Calculate age in	Unit for age display: Hours, Days, or Minutes	Hours
Don't count weekends	Skip Saturday and Sunday when counting age	Off
Include sub-tasks	Whether sub-tasks appear as dots on the chart	On
Include "To Do" category items	Include statuses in the "To Do" workflow category	Off

Calendar vs. Working Time

By default, age is measured in calendar time - every hour counts from when the issue entered its current status, including nights and weekends.

Enable Don't count weekends to skip Saturday and Sunday when calculating age. An issue that sat over a 3-day weekend will then not accrue those days against its age.

Use this setting when your SLA commitments are stated in business days (e.g., "resolve P1 bugs within 2 business days").

Reference Lines

Reference lines are horizontal markers drawn across all status groups. They help you immediately identify outliers.

Average Line

Shows the mean age across all plotted issues.

Useful for: "What is normal for this stage?" - dots above the average are above-average aging
Enable: Toggle Display average line in the configuration panel

Threshold Line

A fixed value you set - your team's SLA limit or internal policy.

Example: If your team commits to resolving critical bugs within 5 business days, set the threshold at 5. Any dot above it immediately flags a policy breach.

Enable: Toggle Display threshold line and enter the value, in the unit set under Calculate age in
Typical values: 5 days (tactical), 10 days (strategic), 20 days (escalation trigger)

Percentile Line

Shows a statistical percentile of the current age distribution (e.g., 85th percentile means 85% of issues are younger than this line).

85th percentile is the most common Kanban SLE (Service Level Expectation) - "85% of issues are resolved within X days"
95th percentile is a stricter commitment
Enable: Toggle Display percentile lines and pick one or more percentiles (5% to 99%)

Common setup: Use all three lines together - Average (internal baseline), Percentile 85 (SLE commitment), Threshold (escalation trigger). Issues above the threshold need immediate action.

Scale Options

Linear Scale (default)

Standard linear Y-axis (age). Best when most issues cluster within a similar age range (e.g., all within 0–30 days).

Log Scale

A logarithmic Y-axis compresses the top of the chart, making it easier to see clusters when ages span a wide range (e.g., 0–200 days with most items below 20 days).

Enable: Toggle Use logarithmic scale
When to use: When a few very old issues stretch the axis so far that normal-age items are all crammed into the bottom 10% of the chart

Display Statuses in Custom Order

Turn on Display statuses in custom order and enter a comma-separated list of status names to set their left-to-right order on the X-axis. Statuses you don't list follow alphabetically. Typical practice: list statuses from earliest workflow stage to latest, so the chart reads left-to-right like a workflow board (e.g., "To Do, In Progress, In Review, Done").

Data Table View

Switch from the scatter plot to a tabular list of all WIP items with their age details. This is useful for sharing exact numbers or drilling into specific issues.

Toggle the view using the Chart / Table buttons next to the data source while editing - view mode shows the view you saved
Open table by default: enable "Open table view by default" in WIP Settings → Filters so the gadget always starts in table mode

Display Settings

Setting	What It Does
Show legend	Toggle legend visibility
Tilted labels for x-axis	Angle status labels on the X-axis to prevent overlap when there are many statuses
Colors	Automatic colors, or custom colors for the Average, Threshold and Percentile lines
Auto refresh every 10 minutes	Refresh the chart automatically every 10 minutes in view mode

Export

Format	What Is Exported
CSV	Raw WIP data with one row per issue - key, summary, type, assignee, status, and age in the unit set under Calculate age in
PNG	Image snapshot of the current view - the chart with its reference lines, or the table
Configuration	Configuration code of all settings, copied to your clipboard for reuse or backup

Common Use Cases

Daily Standup WIP Review

Set threshold to your team's SLA (e.g., 10 days). During standup, the chart immediately shows which items need discussion - no sorting or filtering required.

Kanban SLE Tracking (85th Percentile)

Enable the percentile line at 85. The line value tells you: "85% of our in-progress work resolves within X days." Track this number over time to improve predictability.

Sprint Retrospective

Run the WIP Aging report at the end of a sprint. Issues with high age that did not complete are candidates for retrospective discussion - were they blocked? Under-specified? Too large?

SLA Breach Prevention

Set the threshold at your SLA boundary (e.g., 5 business days for P1 bugs). Run the chart daily and escalate any dot above the threshold before it becomes a formal breach.