diff --git a/app/models/project/life_cycle_step.rb b/app/models/project/life_cycle_step.rb
index 97f23f9339c1..90d4e74faffb 100644
--- a/app/models/project/life_cycle_step.rb
+++ b/app/models/project/life_cycle_step.rb
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class Project::LifeCycleStep < ApplicationRecord
   belongs_to :definition,
              optional: false,
              class_name: "Project::LifeCycleStepDefinition"
-  has_many :work_packages, inverse_of: :life_cycle_step, dependent: :nullify
+  has_many :work_packages, inverse_of: :project_life_cycle_step, dependent: :nullify
 
   attr_readonly :definition_id
 
diff --git a/app/models/work_package.rb b/app/models/work_package.rb
index 560f76044486..a1ec03892668 100644
--- a/app/models/work_package.rb
+++ b/app/models/work_package.rb
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ class WorkPackage < ApplicationRecord
   belongs_to :assigned_to, class_name: "Principal", optional: true
   belongs_to :responsible, class_name: "Principal", optional: true
   belongs_to :version, optional: true
-  belongs_to :life_cycle_step, class_name: "Project::LifeCycleStep", optional: true
+  belongs_to :project_life_cycle_step, class_name: "Project::LifeCycleStep", optional: true
   belongs_to :priority, class_name: "IssuePriority"
   belongs_to :category, class_name: "Category", optional: true
 
diff --git a/db/migrate/20241105175000_add_life_cycle_to_work_packages.rb b/db/migrate/20241105175000_add_life_cycle_to_work_packages.rb
index eb8081aed5f4..423eb83cac79 100644
--- a/db/migrate/20241105175000_add_life_cycle_to_work_packages.rb
+++ b/db/migrate/20241105175000_add_life_cycle_to_work_packages.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 class AddLifeCycleToWorkPackages < ActiveRecord::Migration[7.1]
   def change
-    add_reference :work_packages,
-                  :life_cycle_step,
-                  foreign_key: { to_table: :project_life_cycle_steps },
-                  null: true
+    add_reference :work_packages, :project_life_cycle_step, null: true
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/work_package_spec.rb b/spec/models/work_package_spec.rb
index cabd9fc38081..bda8a4caefe6 100644
--- a/spec/models/work_package_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/work_package_spec.rb
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
     it { is_expected.to belong_to(:assigned_to).class_name("Principal").optional }
     it { is_expected.to belong_to(:responsible).class_name("Principal").optional }
     it { is_expected.to belong_to(:version).optional }
-    it { is_expected.to belong_to(:life_cycle_step).class_name("Project::LifeCycleStep").optional }
+    it { is_expected.to belong_to(:project_life_cycle_step).class_name("Project::LifeCycleStep").optional }
     it { is_expected.to belong_to(:priority).class_name("IssuePriority") }
     it { is_expected.to belong_to(:category).optional }
     it { is_expected.to have_many(:time_entries).dependent(:delete_all) }