how different resolution / status values are configured in JIRA

[Shradha Singh]

Hi Experts!

Can you help in understanding how different resolution / status flows are configured. Example is below, where there is no clarity between Completed and Done.

Status	Resolution
Closed	Completed
Closed	Done
UAT	Done
Closed	Fixed
Resolved	Fixed
RTD	Fixed

regards

Shradha

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

Resolution is a field that JIRA uses to decide if an issue is open or not.  If the field has any value set, then the issue is resolved and is excluded from reporting on active issue lists and so-on.  If the field is empty, then the issue is unresolved, and JIRA will display "unresolved" to show that.

Status shows the user where the issue is in the workflow (process)

These two things are technically completely unrelated.  Your table is irrelevant, you can set the resolution to done, complete, fixed, Mr Flibble killed it, ended, or anything you want.  It has nothing to do with the status of the issue.

In real life, you probably do want some relationship - you can usually divide your issue status into two groups - "open" and "closed".  In your workflow, ask for, or set, the resolution on transitions from the open group to the closed group, and clear it on transitions that go the other direction.

[Steven F Behnke]

You should probably just use one resolution value. Fixed, Done, Completed ... They all mean the same thing, the work was Done. 

Statuses represents WHERE the work item is in the workflow. 

Resolution represents WHY the issue was marked with a GreenGreen or Completed status, why is the work item closed out.

[Steven F Behnke]

haha lots of activity on this one

[Nicolas Bourdages]

There are no such relationships. These are completely independent fields. You could have the Done status with Won't Fix resolution if you want.

Basically, JIRA doesn't enforce any relations. It's the admin's choice to force resolutions in workflow post-functions, or let users pick the ones they want by having the Resolution field in transition screens.

[Greg Smith]

But to answer the question. There may be reasons to have completed, fixed and done.  Depends on if it is a task or bug or something else.  Done or completed may be more natural for a task while fixed may be more natural for a bug.

[Greg Smith]

The problem I have is that as soon as I give something a resolution it doesn't show up in the standard Jira open issue filter in tasks. That seems wrong.  Open should be anything not closed in my mind.  For instance, a typical workflow will be open -> fixing bug -> bug fixed (resolved as fixed) -> test -> close or test->resolved as not fixed and returnd to fixing bug.

When someone thinks they have fixed it they should resolve it as that, and it should still show up in the filters until someone has verified the fix and closes the bug.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Personally, I'm an advocate of throwing away the "resolution says whether it's ended or not" (it should remain as the "why"), and building a relative meta-status function instead.

The problem with what you've got is that there's no clear open/closed decision, whereas at least the current "resolved = ended" function is clear.  Not helpful, to my mind, but at least simple and clear.