The issue log contains duplicates. How should we clean it up?
Fragmented issue historyMerge duplicates into one authoritative record while preserving links and distinct impacts. Do not merge issues merely because their symptoms sound similar if their causes or resolutions differ.
What to do now
- Compare symptoms and affected contexts
- Identify the authoritative issue
- Link duplicates and preserve evidence
- Assign one coordinated resolution plan
When to escalate
Escalate when
Duplicate ownership is causing conflicting fixes or misleading reporting.
Who decides
The issue owner or delegated decision authority
Example
Several reports of one login failure link to a single investigation while a separate authorization problem remains distinct.
Mistake to avoid
Deleting duplicate reports and losing affected-user evidence.
Prevent a repeat
Track unresolved decision age and verify the outcome before treating an issue as closed.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Tasks
- Documents
- Approvals
Record the issue and next action on an owned task, attach evidence, and route the unresolved decision to the proper authority. See the platform
Related cases
- We log issues, but none get closed. What should change?Issue tracking without resolution
- How do we report a serious issue without alarming everyone?Unclear incident communication
- The proposed project duplicates work already underway. What should we do?Duplicate initiative intake
- The backlog contains hundreds of stale items. How do we clean it?Unmaintained product options