What is an Issue?
An issue represents a concrete piece of work: a bug to fix, a feature to build, a specification to write. Every deliverable in Sinra traces back to an issue.
Unlike traditional “user story” formats with rigid structure, Sinra issues use direct, descriptive names. “CSV export for reports” is more useful than “As a user, I want to export reports so that I can analyze data.”
Issue Types
| Type | When to use |
|---|---|
| Bug | A defect to fix |
| Specification | A spec document that goes through the writing workflow |
| Feature | A new capability to build |
| Task | Any other unit of work |
Core Fields
- Name: concise, descriptive title
- Body: rich text with images and
@mentions - Priority: Low, Medium, High
- Estimated time: in days, feeds capacity calculations
- Labels: custom tags per organization
- Platform: Backend, Frontend, Mobile, etc.
Assignment
Issues can be assigned to a specific user or to an entire team. When assigned to a team, any team member can pick it up.
Dual Status Workflow
Each issue carries two independent statuses:
| Status type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Writing status | Tracks spec/planning progress |
| Development status | Tracks implementation progress |
This means a specification can be “In Review” for writing while the developer has not started yet. Both axes progress independently, giving the team accurate visibility into where work actually stands.
Linking Issues
Issues connect upward to:
- Release: which version this issue belongs to
- Cycle: which work period this issue is planned in
- Capability: which feature epic this issue contributes to
An issue belongs to one release and one cycle, but these two axes are independent. A cycle can contain issues from multiple releases, which enables parallel work across versions.
Time Tracking
Log time spent directly on an issue. Sinra compares spent time against the estimate, surfacing overruns before they become surprises. These numbers feed the cycle workload calculation.
Comments and Mentions
Each issue has a threaded comment section with rich text and @mentions. Mentioning a user triggers an email notification with full context. Discussion stays attached to the work, not lost in Slack.