Unmapping a status from board columns affects reporting for all issues ever in that status

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    • 6.07
    • 73
    • Severity 2 - Major
    • 28
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      Atlassian Update – 14 Nov 2025

      Dear customers,

      We’ve clarified that this issue is not triggered by workflow changes, but by a manual action in the board configuration: unmapping a status from board columns. When a board admin unmaps a status (especially one that no longer exists in the workflow), this can cause that status to disappear from the board UI and impact reporting for all issues that are or have ever been in that status.

      To help prevent accidental data loss and confusion, we’ve introduced a confirmation dialog. Now, when a board admin attempts to unmap a status that no longer exists in the workflow, Jira will display a warning about the repercussions of this action - including its effect on reports for all affected issues. The dialog also provides a JQL link to help identify issues that may be impacted.

      We recognize that Jira’s UI could be clearer in this area, and we don’t expect every board admin to be an expert in Jira configuration. This change aims to make the consequences of unmapping statuses more transparent and reduce the burden on instance admins.

      Please let us know if you have any feedback or further questions.

      Best regards
      Daniel Rauf
      Jira Developer

      Show
      Atlassian Update – 14 Nov 2025 Dear customers, We’ve clarified that this issue is not triggered by workflow changes, but by a manual action in the board configuration: unmapping a status from board columns. When a board admin unmaps a status (especially one that no longer exists in the workflow), this can cause that status to disappear from the board UI and impact reporting for all issues that are or have ever been in that status. To help prevent accidental data loss and confusion, we’ve introduced a confirmation dialog. Now, when a board admin attempts to unmap a status that no longer exists in the workflow, Jira will display a warning about the repercussions of this action - including its effect on reports for all affected issues. The dialog also provides a JQL link to help identify issues that may be impacted. We recognize that Jira’s UI could be clearer in this area, and we don’t expect every board admin to be an expert in Jira configuration. This change aims to make the consequences of unmapping statuses more transparent and reduce the burden on instance admins. Please let us know if you have any feedback or further questions. Best regards Daniel Rauf Jira Developer

      Summary

      Unmapping a status from board columns (not workflow changes) causes status to disappear from board and affects reporting for all issues ever in that status.

      Steps to Reproduce

      1. As a Jira admin, remove a status from a project workflow.
      2. As a board admin, go to board configuration > Columns.
      3. Unmap the status that no longer exists in the workflow from all board columns.

      Expected Results

      • The status should remain visible in the board UI for historical issues, or the user should be clearly warned about the impact of unmapping
      • Reports should remain accurate for all issues, including those previously in the unmapped status

      Actual Results

      • Once the status is unmapped, it disappears from the board UI
      • Historical reports are affected, e.g. issues that were previously recognized as "Done" can be marked as "Removed From Sprint" or "In Progress", leading to data loss/confusion

      Notes

      Board admins may unintentionally remove statuses, affecting reporting for all issues ever in that status.

      Jira’s UI does not make the consequences of this action clear, leading to confusion and additional burden on instance admins.

      Workaround

      Modify the affected project's workflow to add changed status back. Then map this status to a column in the project's Agile board (respective to their old position before unmapping). They do not need transitions to or from other statuses.

      After this mapping the status can be removed from the workflow again.

        1. issue-history.png
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          Jeff Curry
        2. Screenshot 2025-11-14 at 09.45.09.png
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          Daniel Rauf
        3. sprint-report-bad.png
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          Jeff Curry
        4. sprint-report-fixed.png
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          Jeff Curry

            Assignee:
            Daniel Rauf
            Reporter:
            Jeff Curry
            Votes:
            99 Vote for this issue
            Watchers:
            98 Start watching this issue

              Created:
              Updated:
              Resolved: