No Slides, No Docs—Just One Confluence Whiteboard: How We Learned Agile and Scrum

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* This article is an English adaptation of a Japanese blog post originally published by Ricksoft. The original post documents how we ran a 3-part internal Agile study series—based entirely on the Agile Manifesto and Scrum Guide—using just one Confluence Whiteboard to plan, facilitate, and reflect on the learning.

Introduction

As an Atlassian Partner, we support many software development teams through the sales, implementation, and support of Atlassian products.

However, tools like Jira and Confluence are just that—tools.

What matters more than the tools themselves are the underlying mindsets, values, and ways of working that guide their use.

That’s why we held a three-part internal study series focused exclusively on the original texts of Agile: the Agile Manifesto and the Scrum Guide.

Our aim was to deeply examine why these documents were written the way they were—and to uncover the true essence of Agile and Scrum.

In this article, we share a practical report of the study sessions, including how we used a single Confluence Whiteboard to design and visualize the learning experience.

Overall Structure of the Study Series

Our internal study series consisted of three focused sessions, each aligned with foundational Agile texts:

Session 1: Reading the Agile Manifesto and its 12 Principles – Understanding what Agile is all about

Session 2: Reading the Scrum Guide (Part 1) – Exploring the Three Pillars and Scrum Values

Session 3: Reading the Scrum Guide (Part 2) – Understanding Scrum Team, Events, Artifacts, and Responsibilities

Workshop Format

In designing the study sessions, we took inspiration from the well-known retrospective framework introduced in Agile Retrospectives, Second Edition: A Practical Guide for Catalyzing Team Learning and Improvement—a book by Derby, Larsen, and Horowitz (PragProg, February 2024).

That model consists of five stages: Set the Stage > Gather Data > Generate Insights > Decide What to Do > Close the Retrospective.

Based on that structure, we designed our own flow as follows:

• Check-in: We started with a brief survey to lower the barrier to participation and create a welcoming space for conversation.

• Input: We read the Agile Manifesto and Scrum Guide together and discussed why each point was written the way it was.

• Dialogue & Stamps: Participants reflected and highlighted meaningful or difficult areas using stamps and sticky notes.

• Block-building Exercise: We organized key learnings in a structured, visual way to help embed understanding.

• Feedback & Appreciation: At the end of each session, we shared takeaways and expressed gratitude for the learning experience together.

Everything on One Confluence Whiteboard

Throughout all three sessions, we used just one single Confluence Whiteboard.

This approach proved to be effective for several reasons:

• It supported a seamless experience—from preparation and facilitation to retrospective and follow-up.

• Even in an online setting, it allowed for smooth collaboration, real-time discussion, and visual interaction.

• The board was easy to reuse, share with others, and convert into documentation.

Here's what the board looked like in practice.

All three sessions were visualized on a single canvas, making it easy to grasp the overall flow at a glance.

Tip:
We established a simple rule for stamp usage throughout the series:

• ❤️ Heart stamp = something you resonated with

• 🔥 Fire stamp = something that seemed challenging

Participant Feedback

• “Instead of just listening, we were encouraged to express ourselves using stamps. That made it easier to stay engaged.”

• “Real-time feedback made the sessions more interactive and enjoyable.”

• “Reading formal texts like the Scrum Guide can feel a bit dense, but the workshop format made it much more accessible.”

Closing Thoughts

The inspiration to use a single Confluence Whiteboard came from an external training that one of our team members attended. In that workshop, they saw an approach where everything was structured on just one Miro board.

Combining that idea with the structure of Agile Retrospectives and my own experience in development teams, we designed this study series to help participants learn in their own way.

This method isn't limited to Agile or Scrum workshops—it can be applied to many different types of learning sessions.

For each topic, we thought carefully about how to create a space where everyone could participate casually and meaningfully, using the whiteboard to encourage open dialogue and collaborative learning.

Appendix: Tools Used for Preparation and Facilitation

We used the following tools to prepare and run the study series:

Confluence

• Used for designing the workshop with Whiteboards, sharing reading materials, and managing the overall session hub (including announcements and recording links).

Slack

• Used to announce sessions, follow up with participants, and communicate throughout the series.

Google Meet

• Used to host and record the live sessions. The recordings were also made available for later viewing and archiving.

Let us know how your team uses Confluence Whiteboards to learn together!