Defects not appearing in release burndown and version reports

ALM Atlassian Jira Software
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1

Our release quality metrics are broken because defects assigned to a fixVersion are not visible in the release burndown chart or version reports. We’re using Jira 8 with a Scrum board configuration.

The defects have the correct fixVersion set (Release 3.5) and are in the project, but:

  • Release burndown shows only stories and tasks
  • Version report excludes all defects
  • Board filter seems to be working for the backlog view

We need defects included because they represent critical work for the release. The board filter JQL includes issue types:


project = PROD AND fixVersion = "Release 3.5" AND type IN (Story, Task, Bug)

Defects are mapped to the Bug issue type in our scheme. Status categories look correct - defects show as “To Do”, “In Progress”, or “Done” appropriately. Resolution field is set when defects are closed.

Is there a sub-filter configuration or status category mapping issue preventing defects from appearing in release metrics?

2

Not a Jira 8 limitation, but there is a configuration order issue. When you change issue type mappings or status categories, existing issues don’t automatically update their calculated fields. You need to trigger a background re-index for the affected versions.

3

Check your board configuration under “Board Settings > General”. There’s often a sub-filter that restricts which issue types appear in burndown calculations. Even if your main board filter includes Bugs, the sub-filter for estimation might exclude them. Look for the “Estimation Statistic” setting - if it’s configured to only count Story Points from specific issue types, defects won’t appear in burndown charts even though they’re on the board.

4

The root cause is a combination of board filter configuration, issue type mapping, and version report settings that need to align properly. Here’s the complete solution:

1. Board Filter and Sub-Filter Configuration: Your main board filter JQL is correct, but you need to ensure the sub-filter for estimation includes Bugs. Go to Board Settings > General > Estimation and verify:

  • Estimation Statistic includes all issue types (Story, Task, Bug)
  • Time Tracking is set to “Story Points” if you’re using points
  • The “Card Colors” setting also respects the issue type filter

Update your board configuration to explicitly include Bug in all relevant sub-filters, not just the main JQL.

2. Issue Type and Status Category Mapping: Verify your workflow scheme maps Bug statuses to standard categories. Go to Project Settings > Workflows > View Workflow and check each status:


To Do category: Open, Reopened, Backlog
In Progress category: In Progress, In Review, In Testing
Done category: Closed, Resolved, Done

If any Bug statuses use custom categories, remap them to standard ones. This is critical for burndown calculations.

3. FixVersion Usage on Defects: Ensure defects use fixVersion consistently. Run this JQL to verify all defects have the version set:


project = PROD AND type = Bug AND fixVersion = "Release 3.5"

For defects without fixVersion, bulk edit them to add the correct release. The version must be set before the defect is resolved, otherwise it won’t count toward release metrics.

4. Release Burndown Calculation Rules: Burndown charts calculate remaining work based on issue type, status category, and estimation field. If your Bugs don’t have Story Points assigned, they won’t appear in a Story Points burndown even if they’re in the filter. Options:

  • Add Story Points to all Bugs (recommended)
  • Change burndown to “Issue Count” mode which counts all issues regardless of estimation
  • Create a custom field for Bug effort and use that in burndown calculations

Go to Board Settings > Estimation > Change estimation statistic to “Issue Count” if you want all defects counted regardless of points.

5. Resolution Field for Done Defects: Version reports require the Resolution field to be set for defects to count as completed. Verify your Bug workflow includes a resolution step:


Status: Done
Resolution: Fixed (or Done, Completed)

If defects are closed without setting Resolution, they won’t appear in version completion metrics. Add a workflow validator to enforce resolution on the transition to Done status.

Additional Steps:

  • Go to Releases page > Select Release 3.5 > Click gear icon > Configure Report
  • Add Bug to the “Issue Types” filter in the version report configuration
  • Enable “Show Completed Issues” to see resolved defects
  • Run a full re-index: Administration > System > Indexing > Re-index
  • Clear browser cache and reload the version report

After making these changes, trigger a background re-index of your project to ensure all calculated fields update. The defects should now appear in both burndown charts and version reports with proper metrics.

5

I had this exact problem last quarter. The issue was that our Bug issue type wasn’t properly mapped to a status category. Even though defects showed the correct status name, the underlying category mapping was wrong. Check your workflow scheme - make sure Bug transitions map to the standard categories (To Do, In Progress, Done). If the category mapping is missing or custom, version reports won’t recognize them as countable work items.