As a Product Manager using Atlas, Jira and JPD together

[Paul Fox-Reeks]

We have been trying to utilize Atlas, Jira and Jira Product Discovery to manage product management roadmaps, stakeholder communications and day-to-day scrum events. There is a lot of overlap between the systems that can be hard, as you often need to do the same thing twice.

Jira Product Discovery

We use JPD to track all our ideas, and as a repository of research towards and idea created. Were possible we may also link to an Atlas Goal, if there is one valuable enough.

Atlas

This is used to communicate with our stakeholders of work to be done. So we use projects as a way to communicate weekly updates on Jira Epic, as well as the gantt view to share our roadmaps with stakeholders. We also use the Goals features to define and communicate our quarterly OKRs

Jira

Then Jira is used for all the task level tracking, day-to-day scrum etc.. Epics are usually linked with Projects in Atlas, as well as any epics that contribute to an Epic. 

Okay, so this is currently how we use it. But there is some duplicate work that I would love to discuss and find out how other people are using these three systems in tandem. 

1. The timeline view in Jira is much better functionally than the Gantt view in Atlas. The Gantt view in Atlas is limiting, to share projects and linked Goals, and/or event see the full project name when a project only lasts a couple of weeks. 
2. The sync between Atlas Projects and Jira Epics is clunky and doesn't always sync dates.
3. If the idea is tracked in JPD, I have to then create an Epic, and create a project in Atlas and link them together. Close out the JPD Idea, Epic and Project all separately. 
4. We have a monthly strategy/prioritization meeting, previously we used JPD as the place to discuss and easily update things. I've transition the team to use Atlas as our stakeholder roadmap, but its a little too ridged. What roadmap do you share with your stakeholders?

[Paul Fox-Reeks]

I lead an internal product management team, so we develop products/features for our own users. As such, we need a way to communicate updates in plain english and Atlas seemed to be that perfect fit. It allows us to connect goals, and provides an alert on a weekly basis to prompt and share updates on, ongoing projects. 

I feel like JPD can get a little detailed in what is in there, and there isn't a great way to keep stakeholders updated on progress without a manual email, or meeting (which is what it was previously before Atlas). So JDP has been an internal product tool for idea management rather than roadmap management. The roadmaps in JDP are also not the prettiest to share with stakeholders (that's beside the point).

[YY Brother]

Hi @Paul Fox-Reeks 

It seems you, as a single person, are taking multiple roles' work.

Is the project in Atlas really required by your team even though Atlas has that Project functionality?

We may create automations rules to auto update idea's status to done when related epics in Jira are marked as Done if necessary.

Roadmap in JPD is the product roadmap which is used by Product Manager to share and align with business team, leadership and other stakeholders (e.g. customers in some comapnies).

Timeline in Jira is for delivery phase to show the planning and progress during the software development. The information in Timeline is team-level with more details.

Those are what I've got from my practices. Hope it helps you a little.

Thanks,

YY哥