Understanding the Time Tracking Report

Question

Hello Experts,

I am using a time tracking report to track the work progress across a release. I need to understand in detail how the accuracy and progress is getting calculated. I have configured the report to show all sub-tasks for a particular release.

The way my project is setup, is in the way, the estimates are logged at User Story level and team members log actual work logs in the sub-tasks.

I am facing challenges in understanding the "Accuracy" and "Sum of Accuracy", both at the top section and at individual line items. Sometimes, it is showing "on track" against few User Stories, for few other User Stories it is showing a positive value like 2d 7h and for some other User Story, it is showing -1d 3h.

Does anyone knows how these values are calculated. Any pointer to Atlassian document would be helpful.

Thanks

PG

Puneet Gupta_m926ra · Answer

Also, the report does not take into consideration, Due date and start date for a JIRA. The report should consider start date and due date and show JIRA status accordingly. Saying "on-track" for a Jira which is past due date gives a wrong impression while reading the report.

Puneet Gupta_m926ra · Answer

Thanks Dilip, this is really helpful.

* Could you please explain this more "Sometimes, Jira will show "on track" instead of a time value if the difference is negligible or within a certain threshold." What are these thresholds and how to configure these?
* There are two indicators at the top section. what is the progress indicator and how it differ from the Accuracy indicator. Which one to use to inform the progress of the release. I mean in one sentence, how can I sum up the progress of the release based on progress and Accuracy indicators.

Dilip_ybbekx · Answer

Hi @Puneet Gupta

1. How Jira Calculates Time Tracking Fields

* Original Estimate: This is the total time you initially estimated for the User Story (or parent issue).

* Time Logged: This is the sum of all work logs entered, typically at the sub-task level in your setup.

* Remaining Estimate: This is the time still expected to be needed to complete the issue. It’s updated as work is logged.

When you configure the report to include sub-tasks, Jira aggregates the time logged on all sub-tasks and compares it to the original estimate set at the User Story level

document - https://support.atlassian.com/jira-service-management-cloud/docs/log-time-on-an-issue/

2. Understanding "Accuracy" in the Report

* Accuracy is typically calculated as:

Accuracy = Original Estimate - (Time Logged + Remaining Estimate)
* If Accuracy = 0: The work is exactly on track (you are using the time as estimated).

* If Accuracy > 0 (positive value, e.g., 2d 7h): You are ahead of schedule; less time is being used than estimated.

* If Accuracy < 0 (negative value, e.g., -1d 3h): You are behind schedule; more time is being used than estimated.

* Sometimes, Jira will show "on track" instead of a time value if the difference is negligible or within a certain threshold.

3. "Sum of Accuracy"

* At the top section of the report, Sum of Accuracy is the total of all individual accuracy values for the issues displayed. It gives you an overall sense of whether your team is ahead or behind across the entire release.

4. Why You See Different Values

* "On track": The logged time plus remaining estimate matches the original estimate.

* Positive value (e.g., 2d 7h): You have time left over compared to your estimate.

* Negative value (e.g., -1d 3h): You have exceeded your original estimate.

Document that can help you understand better - https://support.atlassian.com/jira-cloud-administration/docs/configure-time-tracking/

Thanks