Hi there!
I’m working as a Project Manager handling several different projects at once. I’m looking for better ways to organize my daily tasks and wondering how other PMs deal with this challenge.
Our company uses Jira and Confluence as main tools. The dev teams use Jira heavily, but most project managers just write meeting notes in Confluence and keep track of action items manually.
Issue #1: Hard to sync between Confluence and Jira
When I finish meetings, I document action points in Confluence. I tried the built-in option to generate Jira tickets from Confluence, but it doesn’t automatically add the ticket link back to my Confluence page. I have to manually copy the link which takes extra time. Sometimes doing everything by hand seems faster, but then my tasks are scattered everywhere.
Issue #2: Can’t see everything in one place
I switch between different projects every day. My work includes regular stuff like writing docs and planning meetings, plus random research tasks and meeting follow-ups. What I really need is something that:
- Displays all my tasks from every project together
- Works with my Confluence pages
- Helps me group tasks by project
- Has both simple list view and card view options
Right now I use Microsoft To Do because it works with our Office setup and has good viewing options. But it doesn’t talk to Jira or Confluence at all, so I’m always copying things manually. This causes me to miss stuff when I’m running between meetings.
What I tried: Confluence Task Reports
I set up a Confluence dashboard to show action items from my meeting pages. It shows what’s already in Confluence, but:
- Can’t add tasks that come from other places
- Only shows one view format with no board option
- No easy way to edit all tasks from one screen
Anyone else dealing with this kind of setup? How do you manage your personal tasks when working on multiple projects? Any tools or tricks that help bring everything together from Confluence, Jira and other places?
Appreciate any advice!
Had the same problem until I figured out Jira’s Labels feature with saved filters. Don’t create a separate project - just add personal labels to existing tickets and throw in extra tickets for PM stuff like docs or planning. Set up a personal dashboard with multiple gadgets showing different filtered views. I’ve got one for urgent items across all projects, another for tasks due this week, and a third grouped by project. For Confluence integration - the Jira Issues macro on meeting pages works way better than the task report. You can embed a live view of related tickets right in your meeting notes by filtering on labels or components. Updates automatically when ticket status changes. Just be disciplined about labeling everything consistently from day one. This way you stay in the tools your dev teams already use but get the consolidated view you need.
the atlassian marketplace has some great options for this. I use smart checklist - it creates task lists inside jira tickets that sync back to confluence pages. way cleaner than copying links manually. also check out elements connect - pulls data between confluence and jira automatically so your meeting notes update when ticket status changes. costs a bit but saves tons of time vs doing everything manually.
Managing multiple projects can be quite challenging, especially with tools like Jira and Confluence. One effective approach I’ve found is to create a dedicated Jira project solely for personal task management. Within this project, I establish specific issue types for various tasks, such as “Meeting Follow-up” and “Research Tasks.” This way, I can easily categorize tasks by client using components. The real advantage comes from utilizing JQL filters to create customized dashboards that compile all relevant tasks, allowing me to sort by assignee, status, or components. It enables a clear overview of both immediate and weekly priorities. For integrating with Confluence, I recommend using the quick-create method to generate Jira issues during meetings and later linking them in Confluence notes. It may feel awkward initially, but it streamlines the process. Additionally, consider implementing automation rules to enhance efficiency by automating task transitions or comments, which can really save time.