werkitems

Werkitems are units of work used in project management and software development to represent discrete tasks that require effort. They serve as the primary records for planning, tracking, and coordinating work within a project. A typical werkitem includes an identifier, a concise title, a detailed description, a status, priority, and an assignee. Additional fields commonly tracked are creation date, due date, estimated effort or story points, and links to related items such as requirements, defects, or test cases.

They move through a lifecycle that can be customized, often starting in a backlog or open state, progressing to in progress, review, and completed or closed. Transitions may be controlled by automation rules and depend on hours logged, approvals, or test results. Comments and activity history capture progress and decisions, providing an audit trail for collaborators and stakeholders.

The term werkitem is used in some German-language environments and in organizations that transliterate “work item” into local terminology. In many international contexts the more common term is “work item” or “issue.” In software development, werkitems often align with agile constructs such as user stories, tasks, defects, or chores, and are linked to higher-level requirements or epics.

Management and best practices emphasize clear ownership, a well-defined definition of done, and measurable progress. Maintaining consistent fields, avoiding duplication, and using filters, dashboards, and reporting helps teams monitor workload, cycle time, and throughput. The concept is adaptable across industries and tooling, from lightweight task trackers to enterprise-grade project management systems.

See also: work item, task, issue, backlog item, defect.