Title: Error: FlowState.Name in use when removing Flow State from Rally Team Board

Products

• Rally SaaS

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to delete or remove a column (Flow State) from the Rally Team Board, a validation error appears indicating the state is still in use, even if the column appears empty.

The following error message occurs: Validation error: FlowState.[Name] is in use. Please remove all usages and try again.

Environment

• Rally SaaS
• Team Board Settings

Cause

Even if a column appears empty on the Team Board, background associations with hidden work item types or artifacts (specifically Risks) prevent the deletion of the Flow State.

Resolution

Follow these steps to identify and clear associations:

1. Navigate to Plan > Work Views.
2. Select the following Work Item Types: User Story, Defect, Defect Suite, Risk, and Test Set.
3. Use Show Fields to include the Flow State column.
4. Filter the view for Flow State = [Name of state being deleted].
5. Identify the artifacts (such as Risks) associated with this state.
6. Bulk update or individually change the Flow State for these artifacts to a different value.
7. Return to the Team Board and delete the column.