How to create interactive BRD template based on Jira Issue?

[Dorota Gapinska]

Hi, 

I would like to create the template for BRD (business requirements document) in confluence that is related to Jira issue. 

How it should work?

1. In the first step a User select the Jira Issue - can work as a Jira-Issue macro. 

2. In the table all required fields are updated and document can be printed to PDF/Word. 

All sounds like Jira-Issue Macro but I need to make some formatting so it looks nice. In the simplest words it will work as Jira-Issue Macro but display option should be a vertical table (currently you can only have horizontal). Also it would be good to retrieve just fields contents so I can name sections with some hard-coded naming convention. I have tried to create the table, and then in each cell refer to different field from Jira Issue, but then it means that if I want to run it for another ticket, I need to adjust the filter in several places. I want to have a parent filter and change it just once. I attach a simple draft, hopefully it helps. I would much appreciate your advice.

Thanks!

[Dave Theodore [Coyote Creek Consulting] · Accepted solution]

Unless you want to get in the code writing business and write your own App, you are not going to be able to do exactly what you have shown here.  Even then, you probably can't get exactly what you have shown here.

Keep in mind that Confluence is not a requirements management system. It's an enterprise wiki that can be used for managing requirements in a fairly basic way. The Atlassian model is to collaborate on requirements in Confluence, then turn those requirements in to Jira issues )or link against existing issues.  

I think you will have a lot more success with doing this sort of thing in Confluence if you don't focus on this design, but instead, document the feature requirements you need in a list or fishbone.  If you can state your requirements in a generic sense, I expect Confluence can do what you need it to, likely with the use of some 3rd party Apps and some process around the use of it.  

We went through a similar exercise recently with a client where we migrated from Jama (for requirements management) on to the Atlassian tools suite.  We decided the right approach was to manage the product requirements documents (PRDs) in Confluence and, once they are approved, create Jira issues from tables in the PRD that land in Engineering's backlog. We made use of Space Templates in Confluence to design the structure of the document. The templates were designed with enough detail to make it easy for users to get started, but flexible enough that it allowed them to add rows and columns, additional tables, linked documents, etc.  The team wanted a series of "fields" that would be filled out (Confluence has no concept of fields on pages.) We used the Blueprint Creator App to present fields that users can fill in, which then transfer their values in to a table.  We also used Comala Workflows to represent the lifecycle of the document and manage approvals. There is quite a bit more to what the finished design is like, but it will hopefully give you an idea of another approach.  I believe something along this line will get the job done for you, but it is definitely not the exact structure you have in your attached image.  Doing this kind of stuff is usually not so obvious and requires a bit of creativity.  I hope that helps point you in the right direction. 

[Dorota Gapinska]

Thanks a lot of Dave! There is a lot of new and interesting features/tools mentioned in your answer that I will definitely explore. I am new using Jira-Confluence so I found your tips very helpful.