Sum Time Spent by Epics
This report presents the total effort per Epic using the “Σ Time Spent” metric. It provides a high-level view of how effort is distributed across larger initiatives (Epics), rather than individual issues.
In this scenario, the “Σ Time Spent” metric is accurate when reporting at the Epic level only if the hierarchy includes just one child level (for example, Epic → Stories). In that case, it includes all time logged on the Epic and its direct child issues.
Currently, in Jira, time tracking rolls up one level up the hierarchy. This means that time logged on Sub-tasks rolls up to their parent Story, but it does not automatically roll up another level to the Epic.
Therefore, if your hierarchy includes Sub-tasks (Epic → Story → Sub-task), the time logged on those Sub-tasks will be included in the Story’s Σ Time Spent, but it will not be included in the Epic’s “Σ Time Spent”, due to the one-level roll-up behavior.
This behavior has also been discussed within the Jira community. There is an open feature request in Jira (JRACLOUD-70150) regarding time tracking roll-up across multiple hierarchy levels.
Step 1: Filter the issues you want to include in the data source for analysis.
Step 2: Select the ‘Σ Time Spent’ metric.
Step 3: For Display by, select the Parent field.
In our sample report, the Parent field is sorted by Value in descending order.
Key Reporting Considerations:
To avoid hierarchical double-counting, Stories should not be included alongside Epics when using the “Σ Time Spent” metric within the same data source.
Because Sub-tasks roll up only to their immediate parent (Story) and not to the Epic, you can include Sub-tasks in the data source together with Epics without causing double-counting in the legend totals. However, Sub-tasks will appear as separate bars in the chart itself.
When reporting across mixed issue types, the “Time Spent” metric is better to use instead, as it includes all issues individually without risk of hierarchical double-counting.