Redmine Quick Tip: How to Use Trackers Effectively

Here are some quick tips to make your use of Redmine more convenient and efficient.

The "Tracker" feature in Redmine is often misunderstood as a category for classifying issues, but its true role is to switch between different input fields and options. It defines which statuses and fields will be used.

By defining trackers, you can customize the fields and workflows for each tracker. This means that you can decide which statuses are available and how transitions between statuses are handled for different trackers.

Role of Trackers ①: Defining the Combination of Fields (Input Items) to Use

For example, both screens below are for creating a "New Issue," but the input fields are different.

There are two types of input fields in Redmine: "standard fields" that are built-in and "custom fields" that you can add yourself. You can specify which of these fields to use for each tracker.

Tracker for task

Support tracker with custom field "Detail"

Role of Trackers ②: Defining Which Statuses and Status Transitions Are Allowed

Statuses represent the current state of an issue. You can add or modify statuses to suit your needs. With Redmine's workflow settings, which can be defined per combination of tracker and role, you can control which statuses are available and which transitions (status flows) are allowed.

Workflow Screen You can set which statuses to use for each tracker.

Default Status Transitions

Simplified Status Transitions This setup is suitable for simple task management.

Status Transitions for Website Operations You can easily see the current state of content under production and what the next required action is.

When Should You Create a New Tracker?

You should create a new tracker when "this task requires custom fields" or "this task has a unique flow, and you want to add custom statuses." In simple terms, creating a new tracker is like creating a new type of input form.

If the tasks are different but the status flows and field names are the same, it's better to use the same tracker. For example, names like "Task" or "Work" are broad enough to apply to various kinds of jobs. Also, having fewer trackers makes management easier. Since workflow definitions exist for each combination of role and tracker, adding too many trackers can increase the number of workflows, making configuration and management more complicated.