Mastering Jira Product Discovery: Time-Based Metrics That Drive Project Success

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You have likely already mastered the basics of the Jira Product Discovery (JPD) project and are actively leveraging its benefits. Ideas are being generated, insights added, and the engine for project improvements is running at full capacity. But do you know what the most challenging part of idea generation is? Implementation.

It is indeed exciting to come up with numerous new features or improvements for a product. However, the real test lies in our ability to prioritize, research, and implement them effectively.

That is why many perceive the JPD project as a chaotic box of holiday ornaments. Everything seems beautiful and necessary, but a decoration is cracked somewhere, and the garland is tangled into a tight knot.

To avoid this, a project needs constant grooming. You must separate valid ideas from the noise to clear up the chaos.

Then, all valid ideas must be transferred to the plane of time metrics. Track how long they stay at different workflow stages to identify if bottlenecks are forming during development and implementation. Below, we will outline which metrics you need to measure and how to track them.

Time-based metrics and their measurement in Jira

We recommend using the Time Metrics Tracker app for researching and measuring time metrics.

The essence of the measurements and setting up the app is quite simple.

First, analyze the workflow used in your Jira Product Discovery project to determine your statuses and the transitions that occur between them. If your project workflow lacks structure and connections between statuses are unclear, you should first organize it.

After installing the app, you must configure your Time Metrics.

Time Metrics are a combination of transitions between different statuses, within which the time calculation for specific stages will occur.

The setup is straightforward. To ensure maximum accuracy, you can configure a Work Schedule, defining specific working days and hours so calculations reflect your team's actual activity instead of just calendar time. Additionally, you can configure visual highlighting for time limits if a specific metric value exceeds acceptable norms (critical or warning limits). If a limit is exceeded, the system will visually highlight the value (e.g., in yellow or red), signaling that attention is needed.

What time metrics can be applied to Jira Product Discovery project ideas?

• Lead Time: The total time it takes for an idea to go from the "Parking lot" to "Done" status. This metric gives you an overview of the entire process's efficiency and helps identify potential bottlenecks or delays.
• Cycle Time: The time it takes for an idea to go from "Reviewed by PM" to "Done." This focuses on active working time, excluding the initial waiting period in the Parking lot. This metric lets you understand your team's productivity and the time required to deliver a feature once it has been reviewed and approved.
• Discovery Time: The time it takes for an idea to move from "Parking lot" to "Added to plan." This metric helps you understand the time required for initial idea validation, research, and prioritization.
• Development Time: The time it takes for an idea to move from "In Development" to "Ready for Delivery." This focuses on the development process and helps identify potential inefficiencies in your development pipeline.
• Review Time: The time it takes for an idea to move from "Reviewed by PM" to "Added to plan." This metric helps you understand the time required for a Product Manager to review and approve an idea.
• Delivery Time: The time it takes for an idea to move from "Ready for Delivery" to "Done." This metric helps you understand the time required for final testing, deployment, and release.

So, we have set up all the necessary Time Metrics.

And we got this grid in the app:

1. Select the desired project. You can filter ideas by label, assignee, and status using the filters. Further down, you can create a selection of ideas for a specific time period.
2. Column Manager: Here you can add additional columns to your grid. In this case, we have chosen the date of the idea update, goal impact, effort, and creator names.
3. Calculations: You will see the calculation according to the created Time Metrics as separate columns on the grid itself. The titles of these columns display the names and configurations of these metrics, along with the average value calculation for each.

By measuring these time-based metrics, you can gain insights into various aspects of your project, such as:

• Identifying bottlenecks in the development process or review stages.
• Understanding the efficiency of your team and the time required to deliver features.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of your discovery and validation process.
• Monitoring trends and improvements over time.
• Informing future planning and resource allocation decisions.

These insights help you optimize project management, improve team productivity, and ultimately deliver better products.

To assist you, we offer a 30-day trial for the Time Metrics Tracker app and the opportunity to book a demo call with our team.

We wish you an excellent idea-generation process and the fastest, most effective implementation! 🙂