How to let Jira ruin your process #1

Over-Engineering Jira Workflows: When "Process" Becomes a Problem

Jira is supposed to make work easier, but often it becomes a complicated tangled mess that no one really understands.

I’ve seen it every time I’ve inherited a Jira instance:
🚀 A team adopts Jira with the best intentions.
🛠️ People start adding custom workflows.
📜 Before long, tickets have 10+ statuses, and moving an issue feels like navigating a government permit process.

Why Over-Engineering Hurts Teams

🔹 Slows everything down – Instead of focusing on work, people waste time figuring out which button to click next.
🔹 Kills collaboration – When workflows are too rigid, people stop using Jira or work around it.
🔹 Leads to "Status Theater" – If every step has a status, updates become busywork instead of useful signals.

How to Keep Jira Workflows Lean & Effective

✅ Start simple. A To Do → In Progress → Done workflow is often enough.
✅ Only add steps that create value. YAGNI applies to process as much as code. Is this status really different from another one?
✅ Regularly review & trim down. If you can remove it, remove it. Remember the KISS principle.

Jira should serve the team, not the other way around. Keep it simple, and let people focus on what really matters—getting great work done.

This is the first in a series I’m going to be posting about Jira and it’s use. Please stay tuned! #Agile #Jira #KeepItSimple