Time in Status (Forge) for Jira CloudWhat is a goal?
A goal is the target time for a Timer field. When elapsed time exceeds the goal, the timer is marked as Failed. Goals let you define SLA deadlines - for example, “respond within 4 hours” or “resolve within 2 business days.”
Default goal
Every timer can have a default goal that applies to all issues unless overridden by a conditional goal.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Time String | A human-readable time expression. Supported units: y (years), M (months), w (weeks), d (days), h (hours), m (minutes), s (seconds). Examples: 4h, 2d 4h, 1w, 30m. |
| Calendar | Optional. Use a specific calendar for this goal’s time calculation, overriding the field setting’s default calendar. |
| Calendar Field | Optional. Use a Calendar Select field for per-issue calendar override within this goal. |
Conditional goals (JQL-based)
You can define multiple goals with JQL conditions. The app evaluates goals in order and applies the first matching goal for each issue.
Each conditional goal has:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Time String | The goal time expression (same format as default goal). |
| JQL | A JQL condition that the issue must match for this goal to apply. |
| Calendar | Optional calendar override for this goal. |
| Calendar Field | Optional Calendar Select field for this goal. |
How matching works
For each issue, the app checks conditional goals in order:
- Evaluate Goal 1’s JQL against the issue → if match, use Goal 1
- Evaluate Goal 2’s JQL against the issue → if match, use Goal 2
- … and so on
- If no conditional goal matches, use the default goal
Example: Priority-based SLA
| Goal | JQL | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Goal 1 | priority = Highest |
1h |
| Goal 2 | priority = High |
4h |
| Goal 3 | priority = Medium |
8h |
| Default | - | 24h |
With this setup:
- Highest priority issues must be resolved within 1 hour
- High priority within 4 hours
- Medium within 8 hours
- Everything else within 24 hours
Allow Change Goal
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| allowChangeGoal | When on: the app re-evaluates goals during recalculation. If issue data changes (e.g., priority changes), the goal may change too. When off: the goal is locked at the time the timer first starts. |
Tips
- Goal order matters: conditional goals are checked in order. Put more specific JQL conditions first and broader ones later.
- Calendar per goal: different goals can use different calendars. For example, Highest priority may use a 24x7 calendar while Normal priority uses business hours only.
- Test goals: after configuring, run a recalculation and check a few sample issues to verify the correct goal is applied.
- JQL filter vs goal JQL: the field setting’s JQL Filter restricts which issues are processed at all. Goal JQL only determines which goal applies - the issue is still processed.
