status-analysis
ProductivityShared engine for analyzing Jira issue activity and generating status summaries
How to use this skill
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Jira Status Analysis Engine
This skill provides the core analysis logic shared by status-related commands (/jira:status-rollup, /jira:update-weekly-status, and /jira:generate-feature-updates). It handles data collection, activity analysis, and status generation in a unified way.
IMPORTANT FOR AI: This is a procedural skill - when invoked by a command, you should execute the implementation steps defined in this document and its sub-modules. The calling command determines the configuration parameters.
When to Use This Skill
This skill is invoked automatically by:
/jira:status-rollup- Single root issue, outputs as Jira comment/jira:update-weekly-status- Multiple root issues (batch), outputs to Status Summary field/jira:generate-feature-updates- Multiple root issues (batch), outputs as markdown to stdout
Do NOT invoke this skill directly. Use the commands above.
Architecture Overview
For update-weekly-status (Pre-Gathered Data)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ /jira:update-weekly-status │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Python Data Gatherer │
│ (gather_status_data.py) │
│ │
│ • Async HTTP requests (aiohttp) │
│ • Jira: issues, descendants, changelogs │
│ • GitHub: PRs via GraphQL (batched) │
│ • Output: .work/weekly-status/{date}/issues/*.json │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Status Analysis Engine │
│ ┌───────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ │
│ │ Read JSON │ │ Activity │ │ PR Activity │ │
│ │ (pre-gathered)│─▶│ Analysis │─▶│ (pre-gathered) │ │
│ └───────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────────┐ │
│ │ Formatting │ │
│ │ (formatting.md) │ │
│ └──────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Status Summary field (R/Y/G template) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
For status-rollup (Direct MCP Calls)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ /jira:status-rollup │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Status Analysis Engine │
│ (SKILL.md) │
│ ┌───────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ │
│ │ Data │ │ Activity │ │ External │ │
│ │ Collection │─▶│ Analysis │─▶│ Links │ │
│ │ (data- │ │ (activity- │ │ (external- │ │
│ │ collection.md)│ │ analysis.md) │ │ links.md) │ │
│ └───────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────────┐ │
│ │ Formatting │ │
│ │ (formatting.md) │ │
│ └──────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Jira comment (markdown) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Sub-Modules
This skill is composed of four sub-modules. Read each when executing the analysis:
| Module | File | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Data Collection | data-collection.md | Reading pre-gathered JSON or fetching via MCP |
| Activity Analysis | activity-analysis.md | Detecting blockers, progress, risks, completion |
| External Links | external-links.md | GitHub PR and GitLab MR integration |
| Formatting | formatting.md | Output templates for different modes |
| Data Gatherer | scripts/gather_status_data.py | Async batch data collection (update-weekly-status) |
Configuration Parameters
Both commands share the same engine with different configuration:
| Parameter | status-rollup | update-weekly-status | generate-feature-updates |
|---|---|---|---|
data_source | MCP API calls | Pre-gathered JSON files | Pre-gathered JSON files |
root_issues | Single issue key | Multiple (from manifest.json) | Multiple (from manifest.json) |
date_range.start | User-specified or issue creation | today - 7 days | today - 7 days |
date_range.end | User-specified or today | today | today |
output_format | markdown_comment | ryg_field | feature_markdown |
output_target | Comment on root issue | Status Summary field | stdout |
external_links | Via gh CLI | Pre-gathered in JSON | Pre-gathered in JSON |
user_review | Yes (before posting comment) | Yes (approve/modify/skip per issue) | Yes (full-section review) |
caching | Temp file for refinement | JSON files in .work/ | JSON files in .work/ |
Hierarchy Traversal
Both commands use the same traversal mechanism via childIssuesOf() JQL:
Root Issue (FEATURE-123)
│
├── Epic 1 (EPIC-456)
│ ├── Story 1.1
│ │ └── Subtask 1.1.1
│ └── Story 1.2
│
└── Epic 2 (EPIC-789)
└── Story 2.1
JQL: issue in childIssuesOf(FEATURE-123)
Returns: ALL descendants at any depth (EPIC-456, Story 1.1, Subtask 1.1.1, Story 1.2, EPIC-789, Story 2.1)
Key benefit: childIssuesOf() is already recursive - a single JQL query returns the entire hierarchy regardless of depth. No manual recursion needed.
The difference between commands is not in traversal but in:
- Data source: update-weekly-status uses pre-gathered JSON; status-rollup uses MCP calls
- Scope: status-rollup analyzes one root; update-weekly-status analyzes many roots
- Filtering: update-weekly-status data is pre-filtered to date range by the Python script
- Aggregation: status-rollup combines all descendants into one summary; update-weekly-status generates per-root summaries
Shared Data Structures
AnalysisConfig
Configuration passed from calling command:
{
"root_issues": ["OCPSTRAT-1234"],
"date_range": {
"start": "2025-01-06",
"end": "2025-01-13"
},
"output_format": "markdown_comment",
"output_target": "comment",
"external_links_enabled": true,
"cache_to_file": true,
"filters": {
"component": null,
"label": null,
"assignees": [],
"excluded_assignees": []
}
}
IssueActivityData
The core data structure for each analyzed issue:
{
"issue_key": "OCPSTRAT-1234",
"summary": "Implement feature X",
"status": "In Progress",
"assignee": "user@example.com",
"issue_type": "Story",
"date_range": {
"start": "2025-01-06",
"end": "2025-01-13"
},
"changelog": {
"status_transitions": [
{"from": "To Do", "to": "In Progress", "date": "2025-01-07", "author": "user@example.com"}
],
"field_changes": [],
"last_status_summary_update": "2025-01-05T10:30:00Z"
},
"comments": [
{"author": "user@example.com", "date": "2025-01-08", "body": "Started work on PR #123", "is_bot": false}
],
"descendants": [
{"key": "OCPSTRAT-1235", "summary": "Sub-task 1", "status": "Done", "updated_in_range": true}
],
"external_links": {
"github_prs": [
{"url": "https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123", "state": "MERGED", "title": "Add feature X"}
],
"gitlab_mrs": []
},
"analysis": {
"health": "green",
"blockers": [],
"risks": [],
"achievements": ["PR #123 merged", "Sub-task 1 completed"],
"in_progress": ["Sub-task 2 under review"],
"metrics": {
"total_descendants": 3,
"completed": 1,
"in_progress": 1,
"blocked": 0,
"completion_percentage": 33
}
}
}
Execution Flow
When a command invokes this skill, follow this sequence:
Step 1: Initialize Configuration
The calling command provides an AnalysisConfig. Parse and validate:
REQUIRED parameters:
- root_issues: Array of issue keys to analyze
- date_range: {start, end} in YYYY-MM-DD format
- output_format: "markdown_comment", "ryg_field", or "feature_markdown"
OPTIONAL parameters:
- external_links_enabled: boolean (default: true)
- cache_to_file: boolean (default: false)
- filters: component, label, assignee filters
Step 2: Data Collection
Follow data-collection.md which supports two modes:
Option A: Pre-Gathered Data (update-weekly-status)
Data has already been collected by the Python script (gather_status_data.py):
- Read manifest from
.work/weekly-status/{date}/manifest.json - For each issue, read
.work/weekly-status/{date}/issues/{ISSUE-KEY}.json - Data includes: issue metadata, descendants, changelogs, comments, PRs (all pre-filtered to date range)
Option B: Direct MCP Calls (status-rollup)
-
For each root issue:
- Fetch issue details with
fields=summary,status,assignee,issuelinks,comment,{custom-fields} - Fetch changelog with
expand=changelog
- Fetch issue details with
-
Discover all descendants:
- Use
issue in childIssuesOf({root-issue})to get full hierarchy - Optionally filter by date range:
AND updated >= {start-date} - Use
limit=100(increase if needed for large hierarchies)
- Use
-
For each descendant issue:
- Fetch issue details and changelog
- Track which descendants were updated within date range
-
Build IssueActivityData for root and all descendants
-
Optionally cache to temp file (for refinement workflows)
Step 3: Activity Analysis
Follow activity-analysis.md to:
-
Filter to date range:
- Changelog entries within [start_date, end_date]
- Comments created within [start_date, end_date]
-
Identify key events:
- Status transitions (especially: started, completed, blocked)
- Assignee changes
- Priority/severity changes
-
Analyze comment content:
- Blockers: "blocked", "waiting on", "stuck", "dependency"
- Risks: "risk", "concern", "problem", "at risk"
- Completion: "completed", "done", "merged", "delivered"
- Progress: "started", "working on", "implementing"
-
Determine health status:
- Green: Good progress, PRs merged/in review, no blockers
- Yellow: Minor concerns, slow progress, manageable blockers
- Red: Significant blockers, no progress, major risks
-
Calculate metrics:
- Total/completed/in-progress/blocked descendants
- Completion percentage
Step 4: External Links (if enabled)
Follow external-links.md to:
-
Extract GitHub PR URLs:
- From
issuelinksfield (remote links) - From description and comments (text parsing)
- From descendants' links
- From
-
Fetch PR metadata (if
ghCLI available):gh pr view {PR-NUMBER} --repo {REPO} --json state,updatedAt,mergedAt,title -
Track PR activity:
- PRs merged within date range
- PRs updated within date range
- Open PRs awaiting review
-
Handle GitLab MRs:
- Extract URLs, note for manual checking
- Use
glabif available
Step 5: Format Output
Follow formatting.md to generate output based on output_format:
For markdown_comment (status-rollup):
## Status Rollup From: {start-date} to {end-date}
**Overall Status:** [Health assessment]
**This Week:**
- Completed:
1. [ISSUE-KEY] - [Achievement]
- In Progress:
1. [ISSUE-KEY] - [Current state]
- Blocked:
1. [ISSUE-KEY] - [Blocker reason]
**Next Week:**
- [Planned items]
**Metrics:** X/Y issues complete (Z%)
Note: When posting via addCommentToJiraIssue, always include contentFormat: "markdown".
For ryg_field (update-weekly-status):
* Color Status: {Red, Yellow, Green}
* Status summary:
** Thing 1 that happened since last week
** Thing 2 that happened since last week
* Risks:
** Risk 1 (or "None at this time")
For feature_markdown (generate-feature-updates):
- [ISSUE-KEY](https://issues.redhat.com/browse/ISSUE-KEY): Issue summary
- 1-3 sentences of executive prose. No metrics, no R/Y/G.
- [ISSUE-KEY-2](https://issues.redhat.com/browse/ISSUE-KEY-2): Issue summary
- Prose focusing on significant progress, deliveries, blockers, or risks.
Step 6: Return to Calling Command
Return structured result:
{
"issues_analyzed": [...IssueActivityData],
"formatted_outputs": {
"OCPSTRAT-1234": "formatted status text..."
},
"summary": {
"total": 5,
"by_health": {"green": 3, "yellow": 1, "red": 1}
},
"cache_file": "/tmp/jira-status-{issue-id}-{timestamp}.md"
}
The calling command then handles:
- User review and approval workflow
- Posting to Jira (comment or field update)
- Summary report generation
Error Handling
All modules should handle these error cases:
| Error | Handling |
|---|---|
| Issue not found | Log warning, skip issue, continue with others |
| Permission denied | Display clear error, suggest checking MCP config |
| No activity in date range | Generate summary based on current state |
| GitHub CLI not available | Skip PR analysis, note in output |
| Rate limiting | Display error with retry guidance |
| Large hierarchies (100+ issues) | Show progress indicators |
| Missing JSON file | Log warning: "Data file for {key} not found, skipping" |
Performance Considerations
- Use pre-gathered data: For batch operations (update-weekly-status), always use the Python data gatherer
- Minimize API calls: Only fetch fields you need (for status-rollup)
- Fetch changelogs via expand: Use
expand=changelogingetJiraIssuecalls - BFS hierarchy traversal: Use
parent = KEYper level with recursive BFS (Cloud-compatible replacement forchildIssuesOf()) - Cache data: Store in temp file for refinement iterations
- Parallelize: Python script handles parallel fetching; MCP calls can run concurrently
- Limit comments: Truncate comments post-fetch to reduce analysis scope
- Filter early: Data gatherer pre-filters to date range; apply in JQL for MCP calls
Custom Fields
| Field Name | Field ID | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status Summary | customfield_10814 | String | Stores R/Y/G status text for update-weekly-status |
Prerequisites
For update-weekly-status
- Python 3.8+ with
aiohttppackage - Environment variables:
JIRA_API_TOKEN: Atlassian API token (create at https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens)JIRA_USERNAME: Atlassian account emailGITHUB_TOKENor authenticatedghCLI
- Jira MCP server configured (for argument resolution)
Check setup:
python3 -c "import aiohttp; print('aiohttp OK')"
echo $JIRA_API_TOKEN
gh auth token
For status-rollup
- Jira MCP server configured and accessible
- GitHub CLI (
gh) installed and authenticated (optional but recommended) - GitLab CLI (
glab) installed and authenticated (optional)
Check for tools:
which gh && gh auth status
which glab && glab auth status # optional