Jira Software for Agile PMO Reporting Training Course

Course overview

Agile PMOs need reliable portfolio evidence without forcing delivery teams into duplicate status reporting. When Jira projects use inconsistent workflows, incomplete estimates, unclear issue hierarchies, or ungoverned custom fields, executives receive conflicting views of scope, throughput, risks, milestones, and forecast dates. This course addresses the practical gap between team-level Jira activity and decision-ready PMO reporting. Participants learn how to structure Jira Software so programme, portfolio, and delivery reporting can be trusted, refreshed efficiently, and explained with appropriate context rather than raw ticket counts.

The course covers Jira Software project configuration, issue type hierarchies, workflows, fields, screens, permissions, boards, backlogs, releases, and versions through an Agile PMO lens. Participants build JQL filters for delivery, risk, dependency, milestone, and exception reporting; create dashboards for different stakeholder groups; and apply Agile measures including velocity, burndown, cumulative flow, cycle time, throughput, work in progress, and forecast completion. They also learn when Jira’s native reports are sufficient, when spreadsheet analysis is appropriate, and how to use eazyBI to create calculated portfolio measures and cross-project reporting.

Instruction is delivered through a realistic multi-team transformation case in which participants act as PMO analysts supporting several Scrum and Kanban teams. Each day combines instructor demonstrations, guided configuration, report-building labs, and review discussions focused on reporting decisions. By the end of the week, participants leave with a working Agile PMO reporting pack: a Jira reporting data model, reusable JQL filter library, stakeholder dashboard design, KPI definitions, and a 90-day implementation plan for their own environment.

The course is suited to PMO professionals, project and programme staff, delivery leaders, Jira administrators, and analysts who need to turn Jira Software data into credible management information while retaining Agile delivery practices.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Configure Jira Software issue hierarchies, workflows, fields, and versions to support consistent Agile PMO reporting
• Write reusable JQL queries for milestones, delivery risks, blockers, dependencies, overdue work, and cross-project exceptions
• Design role-based Jira dashboards for executives, programme managers, delivery teams, and PMO analysts
• Calculate and interpret velocity, throughput, cycle time, cumulative flow, work in progress, and forecast completion measures
• Create a reporting data dictionary defining KPI formulas, source fields, ownership, refresh frequency, and limitations
• Build cross-project portfolio reports and calculated measures in eazyBI Reports and Charts for Jira
• Validate Jira data quality through completeness checks, workflow controls, field governance, and reconciliation routines
• Produce an Agile PMO reporting pack containing dashboard mock-ups, JQL filters, KPI definitions, and an implementation roadmap

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• PMO Analysts — who must convert Jira delivery data into reliable portfolio reporting and management packs
• Programme Managers — who need cross-team visibility of milestones, dependencies, delivery confidence, and exceptions
• Agile PMO Managers — who are standardising reporting controls without imposing traditional status-reporting overhead
• Project Managers — who need to report Agile delivery progress, release forecasts, risks, and resourcing assumptions from Jira
• Jira Administrators — who configure projects, schemes, fields, and permissions that determine reporting quality
• Scrum Masters and Delivery Managers — who need to explain team flow metrics and remove reporting obstacles for delivery teams

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should be comfortable navigating Jira Software projects, creating and updating issues, and working with Scrum or Kanban boards. Familiarity with Agile terms such as backlog, sprint, epic, story, workflow, velocity, and release is helpful, as is basic spreadsheet literacy for reviewing exported data. Participants should bring access to a laptop with a modern browser; a training Jira environment is used during the course. No prior Jira administration experience, JQL knowledge, eazyBI experience, coding, database skills, or advanced statistical knowledge is required. Complete beginners can attend, but should expect a fast introduction to core Jira navigation and Agile delivery concepts on Day 1.

Training methodology

The instructor uses a multi-team product delivery case that mirrors the reporting pressures faced by an Agile PMO. Short instructor-led sessions establish the reporting method, followed by guided work in Jira Software: configuring project data, writing JQL, constructing dashboards, and analysing flow measures. Participants compare weak and decision-ready reports, review one another’s dashboard designs, and resolve data-quality scenarios. eazyBI labs extend the native Jira view into cross-project analysis. The final workshop converts each participant’s reporting pack into a practical 90-day application plan.

Course outline

Day 1: Jira Software foundations for Agile PMO data

• Agile PMO reporting questions and decision audiences
• Jira Software project structures and issue type hierarchies
• Company-managed and team-managed project reporting implications
• Workflows, statuses, resolutions, and status-category consistency
• Custom fields, screens, contexts, and field naming conventions
• Epics, stories, tasks, bugs, sub-tasks, releases, and versions
• Reporting data ownership and minimum data-quality standards

Workshop: Participants assess a flawed Jira project configuration and produce a reporting-ready data model with required fields, hierarchy rules, and ownership assignments.

Day 2: JQL and operational delivery reporting

• JQL syntax, operators, functions, and saved filters
• Cross-project queries using project, issue type, status, and assignee criteria
• Queries for overdue work, blocked issues, unestimated items, and stale tickets
• Sprint, fixVersion, component, label, and parent-based reporting filters
• JQL filters for delivery risks, dependencies, milestones, and exceptions
• Filter subscriptions, sharing permissions, and reporting access control
• Excel exports and reconciliation checks for Jira data

Workshop: Participants build and test a reusable JQL filter library for a programme status pack, including exceptions, milestone readiness, and dependency views.

Day 3: Agile metrics and stakeholder dashboards

• Velocity, capacity, and forecast completion boundaries
• Burndown and burnup interpretation for releases and sprints
• Cumulative flow diagrams and work-in-progress analysis
• Cycle time, lead time, throughput, and ageing work items
• Control charts and service-level expectation analysis
• Jira dashboard gadgets, filter results, and two-dimensional statistics
• Dashboard design for executives, programme leaders, and delivery teams

Workshop: Participants create three audience-specific Jira dashboards and defend the metric selection, thresholds, and narrative required for each.

Day 4: Portfolio reporting and eazyBI analysis

• Native Jira reporting limits and escalation criteria
• eazyBI data import, dimensions, measures, and report layouts
• Cross-project portfolio views by team, release, component, and issue type
• Calculated measures for completion rate, ageing, and delivery confidence
• Trend analysis and period comparisons for PMO reporting
• Dependency, risk, and milestone reporting across multiple Jira projects
• Publishing eazyBI reports and embedding governed views in Jira dashboards

Workshop: Participants build an eazyBI portfolio report that combines multiple projects into a release forecast, flow trend, and exception view.

Day 5: Reporting governance and implementation planning

• KPI definitions, metric caveats, and reporting data dictionaries
• Data-quality controls for estimates, statuses, dates, and issue links
• Reporting cadence, refresh rules, and management review routines
• RACI roles for Jira data stewardship and dashboard ownership
• Avoiding metric gaming and misuse of velocity in performance management
• PMO reporting pack structure and executive narrative techniques
• Ninety-day roadmap for Jira reporting adoption and continuous improvement

Workshop: Participants assemble and present an Agile PMO reporting pack with KPI definitions, dashboards, JQL filters, governance controls, and a 90-day implementation roadmap.

Tools & standards covered

Jira Software Cloud, Confluence, eazyBI Reports and Charts for Jira, Microsoft Excel

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions