Remove backlog status from SCRUM Board

[ivana.gruszka]

Hi all!

I have a scrum board and it currently has a Backlog column. If I remove that column, I don't see any issue on the backlog.

I checked the issues and they have the backlog status and this is the default one when added.

I want to have To Do as the default one, and not to have a backlog status, so that all issues without sprint are sent automatically.

Want can I do? Do I need to modify the workflow? If I do this, what happens with the tickets currently with the backlog status?

[Trudy Claspill · Accepted solution]

Hello @ivana.gruszka 

Welcome to the community.

Yes, the workflow will need to be modified. This can be done only by a user that is a Jira Administrator, except under special circumstances.

You need to first determine if the Workflow Scheme is used by more than one project. Making this change would affect all projects that use the same Workflow Scheme.

I recommend that you make a copy of the workflow first, and modify the copy.

In the copy you would add a Status for To Do. 

Then you would click on the Create transition (between the circle and the Backlog lozenge) to highlight the transition (1). Then click and hold on the point where the Create transition touches the Backlog lozenge (2).

Then drag that point to the new status lozenge labeled "To Do". That will make all newly created issues start in the To Do status.

Then you can delete the Backlog status from the workflow.

After creating this new workflow you would update the Workflow Scheme associated with the project. You would add this new workflow and specify the types of issues to which it should be applied. 

During that process the wizard will ask you to specify the status that should be set for all issues that are currently in the Backlog status, since that one will no longer exist.

Another thing to note is that in the Scrum process the issues in the Sprints can have any status in your workflow. If you remove the Backlog status and add a To Do status you will then also need to add a column for the To Do status to your board. If you don't have a column for the To Do status, then issues in that status will not show up in either the Backlog or the Board. Both the Backlog screen and the Board screen show issues in all the statuses. Adding an issue to a Sprint does not automatically change the issue status.

[ivana.gruszka]

Thank you! I was thinking this would be the approach, I was afraid about impacting the current tickets on Backlog.

I am totally OK with having a column in To-Do in the current sprint! 

[ivana.gruszka · Accepted solution]