Tutorial: Using Confluence Cloud and Jira together

Link Confluence and Jira

Jira is great at helping your team plan and track project work. Adding Confluence gives you the power to organize all of the ideas, content, and files that you and your team create as you bring your vision to life.

When you link a Jira project to the Confluence space where all your project documentation lives, you eliminate the need for shared drives and file folders. Finding what you need has never been easier. Let’s get down to business!

Connect a Confluence space to a Jira project

This is the first step to integrating Confluence and Jira.

1. Navigate to Project Pages in the Jira left-hand sidebar
2. Click Connect to Confluence
3. Search for the Confluence space you want to connect

Great! You are now ready to view, create, and edit pages and whiteboards from within Jira.

Add a Jira shortcut to a Confluence page

Adding shortcuts will make it easy to switch between products when needed.

1. Copy the URL of your Jira project
2. Navigate to the Confluence space you’d like to connect it to
3. Tap + (Add shortcut) option in the Confluence left-hand sidebar
4. Paste your Jira project URL in the Edit space shortcuts dialog box, and name your shortcut for easy reference

Now you can smoothly navigate to your Jira project by clicking on the shortcut in the left sidebar. Anyone can add a shortcut to the side navigation in any space, and admins can create keyboard shortcut links.

Add a Confluence shortcut to a Jira project

Admins are able to add a Confluence shortcut to a Jira project.

1. Navigate to the Confluence page you’d like to link to Jira—this is probably your space overview page
2. Copy the page URL by selecting Share
3. In your Jira project of choice, select Add Shortcut in the center navigation bar, and select Shortcut
4. Paste the Confluence page URL and name your shortcut, just as you did in Confluence

Use Confluence in Jira

View, create, and edit pages from Jira Project pages

Managing Confluence pages and whiteboards is seamless within Jira. From the Project Pages section, you can view a page by selecting it, which opens in an embedded window—no need to switch tools.

Creating new content is just as simple: start with a blank Confluence page or use a template, all accessible directly within Jira. Editing is intuitive too—hover over any embedded page, click the pencil icon, and make your changes without leaving Jira.

This streamlined integration ensures you can view, create, and edit content efficiently, all in one place.

Add Confluence content directly to Jira work items

“+ Add” button
By selecting the “+ Add” button, you can choose to either link to existing Confluence content, Create a new Confluence page, or Create a Confluence whiteboard from a drop down menu.

Link to Confluence content
You can easily link existing Confluence pages to your Jira work items to keep important documentation, meeting notes, or project plans accessible.

1. Open the Jira work item where you want to add Confluence content.
2. Select the “+ Add” button and select Existing Confluence page”
3. A new section titled ‘Confluence content’ will appear, and you can link Confluence content by searching for a page or pasting in the link. You can also filter by space.
4. A link to your selected Confluence page will populate, showing the page title, updated status, and who updated it last.

Create a Confluence page
Sometimes you may need to create a new Confluence page directly from Jira to document a task or share additional resources.

1. Open the Jira work item where you want to create a new Confluence page.
2. Open the dropdown menu next to the + Add Create button and select New Confluence page
3. A new Confluence page will be created and automatically linked to the Jira work item.
4. You can now edit the new Confluence page within Jira and add relevant information. 
5. The link to your new Confluence page will appear under Confluence Content in your Jira work item.

Create a Confluence whiteboard
Confluence whiteboards offer a space for brainstorming and collaboration directly linked to Jira work items.

1. Open the Jira work item where you want to create a new Confluence whiteboard.
2. Open the dropdown menu next to the + Add button and select New Confluence whiteboard.
3. A new Confluence whiteboard will be created and automatically linked to the Jira work item.
4. You can now edit the new Confluence whiteboard within Jira and add relevant information. 
5. The link to your new Confluence whiteboard will appear under Confluence Content in your Jira work item.

Smart Links
When you copy and paste Confluence content URLs into a Jira work item description, a Smart Link will appear. Confluence Smart Links reveal important context about the page directly in the Jira work item. To add a Smart Link:

1. Copy the page URL in the browser address bar or by selecting Share and Copy link.
2. Paste the URL in the Jira work item view description.
3. A Confluence Smart Link will appear. To change the level of viewable context, click into the description, hover over the Smart Link and select Configure. Then select URL, Inline, Card, or Embed.
4. Select Save to save your Jira work item description.

Also, Jira work item URLs that are pasted into Confluence pages and whiteboards will appear in the Confluence pages section of a Jira work item, so you can easily find relevant documents where the work item is mentioned.

Create a Jira work item from text highlight

1. Open the Confluence page containing the text you want to use for the Jira work item.
2. Highlight the text or section that you want to convert into a Jira work item.
3. Once the text is highlighted, a small toolbar will appear above the selection. Click on the + Jira Issue button.
4. A dialog box will open, allowing you to specify details of the Jira work item, such as the project, type, summary, description, and any other required or relevant fields. The highlighted text will automatically be inserted into the description field.
5. Review the work item details and make any necessary adjustments.
6. Click Create to generate the Jira work item. The work item will be created in Jira and linked back to the Confluence page for easy reference.

Create a Jira work item from text highlight using Atlassian Intelligence (AI)

1. Open the Confluence page with the text you want to convert into a Jira work item.
2. Highlight the relevant text or section.
3. A contextual menu will appear with an option to + Jira Issue. If you have Confluence Premium+ or Jira Premium+ and Atlassian Intelligence enabled, you will see an additional toggle to use Atlassian Intelligence to generate a summary and description in this menu. Toggle this on.
4. AI will analyze the highlighted text to suggest a summary and description for your Jira work item  based on the content. It will provide a pre-filled summary and description for the work item.
5. Review the AI-generated details. You can make any adjustments if necessary or accept the AI's suggestions.
6. Click Create to generate the Jira work item. The work will be created in Jira with the details provided by the AI, and it will be linked back to the Confluence page for easy reference.

By following these steps, you can efficiently create Jira work items from Confluence pages, either manually or using the advanced AI features available with Confluence Premium or Jira Premium+.

Create a Jira work item from the Confluence page editor

You can create Jira tasks while drafting new or editing existing content in Confluence. When in edit mode, use the Create Jira issue macro to create Jira issues without leaving Confluence.

1. Type /createjiraissue while editing a page or open the dropdown menu within Insert Elements + and search ‘Create Jira Issue’
2. Select Create Jira issue from the dropdown menu
3. Fill in the work item details, then select Create
4. The work item will automatically be added to the Jira project you selected and your Confluence page.

See step-by-step instructions in this video:

Create multiple Jira work items

Convert an entire Confluence table into multiple Jira work items

You can quickly turn project plans and requirement documents into trackable work in Jira by converting an entire Confluence table into multiple Jira work items.

1. Open the Confluence page with the content you want to convert into Jira work items.
2. Highlight the text in any cell of the table you wish to convert into Jira work items.
3. After highlighting, a small toolbar will appear above the selection. Click on the + Jira Issue button and select Multiple issues from the dropdown (you may need to click on More Actions if the button is not visible).
4. In the dialog box that opens, specify the details of the work item, such as the project and work type and configure your field mappings.
5. Click Create to generate all of the work items.
6. The work items will automatically be added to the Jira project you selected and to your Confluence page within the table.

Create multiple Jira work items using Atlassian Intelligence (AI)

Managing multiple Jira work items often involves navigating between tools, copying and pasting content, and ensuring alignment across tasks. With Atlassian Intelligence, you can streamline this process by creating multiple Jira tasks directly from your Confluence pages. 

AI scans your page, auto-generates summaries and descriptions for each task, and eliminates manual effort, saving time and keeping your team aligned. By reducing context switching, you can stay focused on your tasks while seamlessly transitioning from planning in Confluence to task execution in Jira—all without leaving the page.

Note: You’ll need to have Confluence Premium+ or Jira Premium+ and Atlassian Intelligence enabled to use this feature.

1. Access a Confluence Page
   Open the page where you’ve outlined your project plan, requirements, or any content with potential tasks.
2. Enable Atlassian Intelligence
   Ensure AI is enabled in your Confluence settings. If unsure, check with your admin to confirm access.
3. Activate AI Work Creation
   1. Look for the AI Assist button on your Confluence page.
   2. Click it to enable AI to scan the page.
4. Scan for Actionable Items
   1. AI will analyze the content and identify actionable items.
   2. A list of suggested Jira tasks, with pre-filled summaries and descriptions, will appear.
5. Review and Edit Tasks
   1. Review the suggested tasks.
   2. You can edit the details, add new tasks, or remove unnecessary ones.
6. Bulk Create Jira Work Items
   1. Once satisfied with the list, select Create All to generate Jira tasks in bulk.
   2. Alternatively, create individual tasks by selecting them one at a time.
7. Verify in Jira
   1. Navigate to Jira to confirm that all tasks have been successfully created.
   2. Your tasks will be ready for your team to act on without losing context from Confluence.

Create work items from whiteboards in Confluence

Turn sticky notes on a whiteboard into Jira work items

Turning sticky notes on a Confluence whiteboard into Jira work items can help you capture and track action items directly from your brainstorming sessions. Follow these steps to create Jira work items from sticky notes:

1. Open the Confluence whiteboard.
2. Locate the sticky notes that you want to turn into Jira work items.
3. Click on a sticky note to open its options menu.
4. In the options menu, select Create a Jira Issue.
5. A dialog box will open where you can enter the details of the Jira work item. The sticky note's content will be automatically inserted into the summary field.
6. Specify the work item details such as the project, work type, summary, and any additional information needed.
7. Click Create to generate the Jira work item. The work item will be created in Jira and linked back to the Confluence whiteboard for easy reference.
8. The contents of the sticky note will be replaced with the Jira work item link.

Reporting on Jira data in Confluence

Capturing progress, results, and decisions is not always cut and dry. When lots of stakeholders and teams are involved, having good ways to share information is vital. Jira Reports give stakeholders a bird’s-eye view of your team’s progress with just a few clicks. Improved visibility across all stakeholders enables your team to focus on tasks and complete work faster.

Use Smart Links to Embed Jira Content into Confluence

Smart Links offer a straightforward way to integrate and view Jira content within Confluence with minimal setup. This feature supports embedding the following Jira content types:

• Jira board
• Jira backlog
• Jira dashboards and gadgets
• Jira releases

Steps to Embed Jira Content Using Smart Links

1. Open the specific Jira content (e.g., board, backlog, dashboard, gadget, or release) that you want to embed.
2. Copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.
3. Navigate to the Confluence page where you want to embed the Jira content.
4. Click the Edit button to enter page editing mode.
5. Place your cursor at the desired location on the page.
6. Paste the copied URL directly into the Confluence page. Confluence will automatically recognize the URL and display it as a Smart Link.
7. The Smart Link will render a preview of the Jira content. You can click on the preview to adjust settings or display options if needed.
8. Click Save or Publish to finalize the addition of the Jira content to your Confluence page.

Use the Jira Reports Template to Create Reports

The Jira Reports template simplifies reporting on work happening in your Jira projects. It’s an easy way to share progress on current releases or display a static change log of what’s changed between your latest releases.

Steps to use the Jira Reports Template:

1. Create a Confluence page using the Jira Report template.
2. Select the Jira project you’d like to report on. The template will automatically generate a preconfigured status report page.
3. The report will display pie charts based on your Jira project’s fields, such as priority, work item type, and more.
4. Customize your report by choosing different fields to report on, ensuring it highlights the information most relevant to your team and stakeholders. 

Conduct a Sprint Retrospective in Jira

After you close a sprint in Jira, you can complete your sprint retrospectives with Confluence—choose from a whiteboard or page to capture your team’s thoughts and reflections. The retrospective can be viewed directly via Confluence or remains linked to the sprint in Jira for easy visibility and reference.