Work item state and status descriptions

A work item's State or Status field indicates where it is in the development progress. The following descriptions are general recommendations on how to consider each value, but you may apply meanings that work best for your organization's practices. You can use process flows to create your own custom indicators of progress, which can be tied to these defaults. 

States for stories and features

• Pending Approval: The work item has been created, but is not yet planned into a sprint or program increment.
• Ready to Start: The work item has been planned, but work has not started. 
• In Progress: Teams are actively working on delivering the work item.
• Dev Complete: Development on the work item has concluded, and the team may now begin testing.
• Test Complete: Testing on the work item has concluded, and the item is ready for final acceptance by the product owner, product manager, or other lead roles. 
• Accepted: A product owner, product manager, or other leader has reviewed the functionality or change delivered by the work item and agrees it provides the intended value. 

States for capabilities, epics, and themes

• Not Started: The work item has been created, but work has not been started. This state does not take planning status into account, as smaller work items such as features and stories are planned into timeboxes to deliver the work. 
• In Progress: Teams are actively working on delivering the work item.
• Accepted: Work has been completed on all child work items. A product owner, portfolio owner, product manager, or other leader has reviewed the functionality or change delivered by the work item and agrees it provides the intended value. 

Statuses for objectives

• On Track: The objective is likely to achieve its desired outcomes. Progress may be close to completion, and key results may have been fulfilled.
• At Risk: Something may cause the objective to not reach its desired outcomes. For example, work needed to complete the objective may be behind schedule, or risks might pose a future threat to completion. An objective may be at risk regardless of current progress or key result status.
• Off Track: The objective is unlikely to achieve its desired outcomes if action is not taken. Some warning signs that an objective may be off track include low progress and unfulfilled key results as the target completion date nears.
• Pending: Work on the objective has not yet started.
• In Progress: Work has started toward objective completion.
• Paused: Progress toward the objective has temporarily stopped.
• Completed: The desired outcomes described in the objective have been reached, measured by work progress and key result completion.
• Canceled: The objective won’t be worked on, or the desired outcomes were not reached in time.
• Missed: The desired outcomes described in the objective were not reached in time.

Statuses for risks

• Open: The risk is actively being considered and addressed for planning and execution. 
• Closed: The risk is no longer applicable to the current set of work being delivered by teams.