Mapping Jira Software and Jira Align Status

Summary

This article explains how to align Jira Software and Jira Align for work items with a status (say Regression), where stories don't disappear from sprints in Jira Align.

Diagnosis

N/A

Cause

Jira Software and Jira Align use different definitions of done for the same work items:

• In Jira Software, the board treats a status like Regression as ‘done' for sprint closure.

• In Jira Align, the mapped status (for example, Test Complete) is not considered done. Only items in Accepted are treated as done.

When you close a sprint in Jira Software:

• Jira Software closes the sprint and keeps items in it because the board shows Regression as done.

• Jira Align closes the same sprint, but any items not in Accepted are considered incomplete and are moved to the backlog or a future sprint.

This mismatch removes those items from the closed sprint in Jira Align and causes reports (such as the Program Room) to show only the accepted items as being in the sprint, which isn’t aligned to how Jira operates.

Solution

Decide on a single definition of done for the status you use for Regression-type work, and then configure Jira Software and Jira Align to follow it.

The steps below describe the pattern that resolved the issue when Regression is not considered truly done work.

Step 1: Decide whether Regression is truly done work

First, align your team on what Regression means:

• If it represents work that still needs attention or validation, treat it as not done.

• If it represents fully completed work, treat it as done.

Step 2: Treat Regression as not done

• If you decide that Regression is not truly done work, treat it as not done in both tools:

  • In Jira Software:

    • Move the status you use for Regression out of the Done column and into a column that is not mapped as done (for example, a column representing in-progress or testing work).

  • Map the status in Jira Align to match the above:

    • Jira Regression → JA Test Complete (not Done)

    • Jira Completed → JA Accepted.

• Outcome on sprint closure:

  • Issues in Regression are treated as incomplete in both Jira and Jira Align.

  • Jira Software moves these issues to the next sprint or to the backlog instead of keeping them in the closed sprint as similar to Jira Align.

Step 3: Treat Regression as truly done work:

• In Jira Software:

  • Keep Regression status under the Done column on the board.

• In Jira Align, use status mappings that match your decision:

  • Map the Jira Regression -> JA Accepted, and ensure that Jira sets the resolved date when transitioning to that done status.

Outcomes on sprint closure:

• Items in Regression are treated as incomplete and are moved out of the closed sprint (to backlog or a later sprint), consistent with Jira Software.

• Only items in Accepted remain in the closed sprint and are counted as done.

This results in consistent behavior across Jira Software and Jira Align, but it assumes Regression represents fully completed work.

Step 4: Understand the impact on Jira Align reporting

With Regression treated the same way in both tools:

• Jira Align Program Room and similar views show only stories that are truly completed as Accepted for the sprint.

• For example, "1 of 4 Stories Accepted". This reflects that only one story met the done criteria in that sprint.

• You can still see how many stories were originally planned versus completed using other reports (for example, Jira sprint report, or custom reporting / Enterprise Insights).

This approach removes the discrepancy where Jira shows all Regression items as done, but Jira Align removes them from the closed sprint because they are not accepted.