Status Churn Score: Measuring Unnecessary Back-and-Forth

[#1]

When issues bounce between statuses, the calendar moves but outcomes don’t. Let’s make those loops visible—calmly, and with the tools you already use.

Status Churn refers to the avoidable back-and-forth in your workflow—the moments when an issue revisits the same step multiple times. Also known as ticket ping-pong / bouncing, rework loops, or backflow, it’s the quiet drag that keeps teams busy without moving work to “Done.”

This article introduces a simple, counts-only Status Churn Score (SCS) you can calculate with the Time in Status app for Jira—and, if you prefer, pipe to Google Sheets via the app’s JSON Data Feed Link for light analysis and trending. No heavy math — just a clear routine you can explain in one sentence and track week over week.

What counts as churn (and what doesn’t)

Churn is:

• Re-entering the same status (e.g., In Review → In Progress → In Review)
• Ping-pong between adjacent steps (In Progress ↔ In Review, QA ↔ Fixing)
• Backsteps to earlier stages (Review → In Progress, In Progress → To Do)

Churn is not (usually):

• Required loops like regulated QA/UAT or mandatory security checks
• Explicit Waiting states used to pause SLAs (e.g., Waiting for Customer/Vendor)

Keep the metric focused on unnecessary loops. If a loop is part of your definition of quality, leave it out.

How to compute it (counts-only, one report)

You can do this entirely inside the Time in Status app for Jira, or fetch the same Status Count data into Google Sheets using the app’s JSON Data Feed Link. Pick the path that matches how your teams work.

1) Scope & window
Choose a project/board/saved filter and a date range (e.g., last 90 days). Use the same scope and window every time so comparisons stay fair.

2) Bring the JSON into Sheets

In the Time in Status app for Jira, open Status Count report for your scope and time window, save Preset, and copy the JSON Data Feed Link. Next, use the instructions to set up the correct export to Google Sheets.

3) Hide statuses from the table that do not need to be taken into account in the calculations.

• Enable (work stages): To Do, In Progress, Ready for Testing, Testing, Designers Review, On review, Ready to release, Ready for delivery.
• Neutral/exclude (waiting): COMMUNICATION, On hold (just hide the columns.
• Final: Done — optional. If you want to see “reopen cycles,” don't exclude them.

4) Next, we'll use some formulas.

Counting re-entries for each task (counts “extra entries” in statuses: max(0, count − 1)):

=ARRAYFORMULA ( IF(A2:A="","",   BYROW(H2:U,     LAMBDA(r, SUM( IF( (H1:U1<>"") * ISNA(MATCH(H1:U1, 0)), IF(r>1, r-1, 0), 0)))))), 

where H2:U is the range of your statuses.

All entries in statuses for each task:

=ARRAYFORMULA( IF(A2:A="","",   BYROW(H2:U, LAMBDA(r,     SUM(       IF( (H1:U1<>"") * ISNA(MATCH(H1:U1, $X$2:$X, 0)),  r, 0 ))))))

Status Churn Score (SCS) for each task:

=ARRAYFORMULA( IF(A2:A="","",   IF(W2:W=0, 0, W2:W / X2:X) )),

where W2:W - Re-entries for each task, X2:X - All entries for each task.

You can also calculate the overall indicators:

SCS (scope) : =SUM(W2:W) / SUM(X2:X) 

Churn Prevalence — % of tasks with any repeated entries: =COUNTIF(X2:X, ">0") / COUNTA(FILTER(B2:B, B2:B<>"")),

where B2:B - issue keys; it is important to note that here X2:X, “>0” instead of zero, you must specify the number of statuses in your table, i.e. if, under normal task flow without ping-ponging, the adequate number of entries is 9, then we specify that number.

A lightweight cadence that sticks

Start with a steady view.
Use the same scope and 90-day window each week. Save the filter (and the JSON link, if you use Sheets) so it’s one click to refresh.

Change one thing, not ten.
Pick a single habit to fix (split an overloaded In Review, add explicit Waiting, merge duplicate statuses). Announce it in plain language, make the update, and let boards breathe.

Measure quietly.
Recalculate SCS next week—same scope, same window. Look for a gentle downward slope in SCS, fewer issues showing churn (Prevalence), and a shrinking Hotspot.

Leave breadcrumbs.
One sentence in a shared place: “Split Review → SCS 0.36 → 0.28; hotspot moved from Review to QA; owner: Alex.” Long debates optional; clarity mandatory.

Prefer reversible moves.
Use validators/guards behind toggles. If a tweak backfires, roll it back without drama and try the next smallest step.

Make it a 5-minute habit.
In standups, glance at what’s waiting and which hotspot needs a nudge. Small nudges, repeated, beat big reorganizations that never land.

Reading the number (without overreading it)

• SCS down → less back-and-forth overall.
• Churn Prevalence down → fewer issues fall into loops.
• Hotspots shifting/shrinking → your fix is addressing the right step.

Avoid hard “good/bad” thresholds. Baseline against yourself. A review-heavy product team will have a different “normal” than a short-cycle service desk. Direction matters more than absolutes.

Five fast fixes that typically reduce churn

1. Split overloaded Review
   If “Review” hides code review and QA, split them.
   What you’ll see: Hotspot divides; each step’s churn starts to ebb because ownership is clear.
2. Make Waiting explicit
   Add Waiting for Customer/Vendor so back-and-forth isn’t hiding inside “progress.”
   What you’ll see: SCS falls in working steps; sprint Completion Rate steadies (see the Sprint Report).
3. Guard Done
   Block Done if dependencies are open; route to On Hold instead.
   What you’ll see: Fewer re-entries into working steps after “Done”; On Hold duration becomes visible (and addressable).
4. Merge duplicate meanings
   Keep one canonical review state; retire the twin.
   What you’ll see: Status Count normalizes; the matrix of moves gets simpler—less room for loops.
5. Require a transition on handoff
   When the assignee changes, prompt for a status update (e.g., to In Review).
   What you’ll see: Ownership and steps line up; re-entries into “In Progress” ease.

Keep fixes reversible and boring on purpose. Boredom is a feature in governance.

Where to watch the trend (without spreadsheets)

• Status Count report — your SCS backbone (weekly).

• Time in Status report — durations in the current Hotspot (optional, same window).
• Time in Status per Date report — see durations ease week by week.
• Status Entrance Date report — spot late returns to In Progress.
• Sprint Report — watch Completion Rate, Committed vs Completed, Workload by Assignee, and Scope Change settle as churn drops.

Insights from the field

• Churn concentrates at boundaries. Most loops happen where ownership shifts—hand-offs between dev/QA, support/engineering, vendor/internal. Fix the boundary and the loop shrinks.
• Definitions beat tools. Two teams can share a dashboard and still disagree if “Review” means different things. A one-line definition per status clears months of noise.
• Waiting needs daylight. Teams look slow when external waits are hidden. Making Waiting explicit lowers pressure and raises trust.
• Small moves compound. One reversible rule per week beats a grand redesign that never lands. Momentum is a metric too.
• Narrative matters. “Churn fell in Review after we split responsibilities; next we’ll guard Done” is a story leaders can act on.

When the loops shrink, conversations get clearer, delivery steadies, and the rest of your metrics follow—without changing tools, only how you use them.

Try Time in Status app | Book a demo