Weekly Wonder: Partnering with Governance Stakeholders

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Hi CUG Leaders!

This week, we’re continuing our conversation about expanding the value and reach of your CUG - this time through the lens of security and compliance conversations and how to partner effectively with governance stakeholders.

Last week’s article focused on partnering with different teams across the organization to grow the value of your CUG. This topic is semi-related: security, compliance, risk, legal, privacy, and governance teams are some of the most important partners you can bring into community conversations, especially as organizations standardize how Atlassian tools are administered, adopted, and scaled.

For many members, governance topics can feel intimidating or overly formal. But when CUG leaders make space for practical, approachable discussions about security and compliance, they help members understand not only what policies exist, but why they matter and how teams can collaborate more confidently within them.

Below are five practical tips to help you partner with governance stakeholders and facilitate stronger security and compliance conversations in your CUG.

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1. Invite governance stakeholders into the conversation early

Security and compliance leaders are often brought in only when there is a problem, an audit, or a major change. Your CUG can model a better approach by inviting them into the conversation early and positioning them as partners rather than gatekeepers.

Consider reaching out to security, compliance, risk, legal, privacy, or enterprise architecture stakeholders before planning a session. Ask what questions they hear most often, what misconceptions they would like to clarify, and what guidance would help Atlassian users make better decisions. This helps the session feel relevant, balanced, and grounded in real organizational needs.

2. Translate policy into practical day-to-day scenarios

Governance guidance is most useful when members can connect it to their everyday work. Instead of centering a session only on policy documents, frame the discussion around scenarios members recognize: granting project access, managing sensitive data in Confluence, choosing app marketplace solutions, configuring automation, handling customer information, or preparing for audits.

Ask governance stakeholders to explain the “why” behind key requirements and provide examples of acceptable patterns. When members understand the reasoning behind controls, they are more likely to follow them, and more likely to ask thoughtful questions before issues arise.

3. Create a safe space for questions and gray areas

Security and compliance topics often come with uncertainty. Members may worry that asking a question will reveal they have been doing something wrong. As a CUG leader, you can set the tone by making it clear that the goal is learning, not blame.

Encourage speakers to welcome practical questions, edge cases, and “what would you do if…” scenarios. You might collect questions anonymously before the session or group them by theme so governance stakeholders can respond constructively. This helps turn compliance from a one-way lecture into a collaborative problem-solving conversation.

4. Highlight shared responsibility between admins, users, and governance teams

Strong governance is not owned by one team alone. Admins, product owners, team leads, and everyday users all play a role in keeping Atlassian environments secure, compliant, and sustainable. A helpful CUG session can clarify where responsibilities begin and end for different groups.

For example, governance teams may define standards, admins may configure controls, and users may need to follow naming conventions, data-handling rules, or access request processes. Mapping these responsibilities helps members see how their choices contribute to organizational trust and reduces confusion when decisions need to be made.

5. Turn the discussion into reusable guidance

After a security or compliance-focused session, capture the key takeaways in a format members can reference later. A Confluence recap page might include approved resources, escalation paths, common do’s and don’ts, frequently asked questions, and links to internal standards or templates.

Reusable guidance is especially valuable because governance conversations rarely end after one meeting. Members will continue to face new use cases, app requests, access questions, and data-classification decisions. A clear follow-up resource gives them a trusted place to start and reinforces the CUG as a practical bridge between community learning and organizational governance.

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Security and compliance conversations do not have to feel disconnected from the day-to-day needs of your CUG members. When framed well, they can help teams work more confidently, reduce risk, and build stronger relationships with the stakeholders responsible for governance across the organization.

By inviting governance partners in early, translating policies into practical scenarios, creating space for honest questions, clarifying shared responsibilities, and documenting reusable guidance, you can help your CUG become a trusted forum for safer, smarter, and more collaborative Atlassian adoption.

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Public Resources You Can Share with Your Group

• Atlassian University – Free Training & Tutorials 

  • Short, product-focused courses that can serve as inspiration for your series topics or pre-work for attendees.

• Work Life by Atlassian – Teamwork & Collaboration Articles 

  • Practical articles on team rituals, facilitation, and collaboration that can inform how you structure your recurring sessions.

• Atlassian Team Playbook 

  • Ready-to-use plays for running retrospectives, health monitors, and other team activities that make excellent recurring series formats.