Jira Day 2023 recap: A cosmic adventure in Atlassian’s galaxy

In its 11th edition, Jira Day 2023 introduces us to the heart of the Atlassian ecosystem. Being Central Europe’s premier Atlassian conference, it delivered a treasure trove of knowledge and innovation. So, come along with us, as we explore standout moments, with inspiring presentations, engaging discussions, and remarkable speakers.

This year’s conference explored a diverse range of topics, from IT Service Management (ITSM) and Jira migrations to Artificial Intelligence. Now, let’s delve into some of the event’s key highlights and insights.

The 11th edition of Jira Day was held at the prestigious CKF_13 Fabryczna Conference Center. This newly established facility offers 2,200 m2 of versatile space, suitable for various events, such as business meetings, scientific symposiums, and entertainment functions. What makes CKF_13 unique are its cutting-edge amenities and its prime location in the beautiful city of Cracow.

Key highlights of Jira Day 2023:

Jira Day 2023 celebrated diversity by welcoming professionals from various hierarchies and roles across different industries. Moreover, the event was inclusive, serving IT and business domains, offering tailored practices for diverse sectors, and focusing on optimizing workflows for various teams. Thanks to its division into three distinct tracks, different audience segments found sessions most relevant to their professional interests.

These tracks included:

Jira Day 2023 featured a vibrant engagement with partners and sponsors, enhancing the conference’s overall experience. Attendees had the opportunity to visit the booths of industry-leading partners and sponsors, including Atlassian, Tempo, re:solution, Agile Hive, Adaptavist, eazyBI, Appfire, Creativas.io, Yasoon, Deiser, K15t, Communardo, Decadis, Activity Timeline, JXL, Meta-Inf, Refined, Elements, TechTime, Caelor, Aptis, and Kantega SSO. Their presence enriched the conference with innovative solutions and insights, further connecting the Atlassian community.

The whole event was a celebration of the Atlassian ecosystem, including captivating presentations, engaging discussions, and esteemed speakers. Now, moving forward, let’s take a look at some of the highlights from this year’s event.

As the curtains rose on Jira Day 2023, the stage was set for an unforgettable journey. The first talk of the event featured Katarzyna Dorosz – Żurkowska, who is leading Atlassian Services at Deviniti, and Piotr Dorosz, the CEO of Deviniti. 

Together, they shared their insights and vision for the event. What’s more, they illuminated the path we were about to tread, guiding us through the galaxy of Jira Day with their wisdom and expertise.

Presentation Title: Friction & Lubrication in Company Culture – Understand Why Your Organization Squeaks and Clanks While Transforming.
Speaker: Kate Hobler, Founder and Chair of Brass Willow

The event began with Kate Hobler, a charismatic mentor, coach, and Agile transformation professional. She dived into the intricate topic of “Friction & Lubrication in Company Culture.” 

Her captivating presentation unveiled the often-overlooked nuances of cultural coherence during organizational transformations. Kate’s real-life example underscored how value misalignment, often resulting from a lack of transparent strategy communication, can hinder transformation. Furthermore, she stressed that change starts with shifting mindsets and culture, not just tools and processes. As a result, her insights provided attendees with a deeper understanding of the complexities of organizational transformation.

Discussion title: Measuring the Impact of Digital Transformation
Participants: Radosław Cichocki, Kate Hobler, Rodney Nissen, Piotr Dorosz

Following Kate Hobler’s session, the conference transitioned into an engaging debate. Radosław Cichocki, the Head of Atlassian Apps at Deviniti, took the stage as the moderator. He was joined by esteemed panelists:

Together, they delved into the intriguing and ever-evolving topic of “Measuring the Impact of Digital Transformation.” During the panel discussion, fueled by the understanding that digital transformation is a continuous journey, not just a destination, they provided attendees with valuable insights and perspectives on assessing its impact on organizations. 

It was emphasized that before embarking on measurements, understanding the true value of your organization, as perceived by customers and business partners, is paramount. This knowledge serves as a compass for determining what, how, and why to measure. 

The debate also stressed the significance of distinguishing between performance metrics that gauge strategic outcomes and efficiency metrics that focus on execution, ensuring that organizations maintain a holistic view of their transformational journey.

The morning continued with attendees splitting into different tracks, each offering a unique perspective on Atlassian and IT solutions. The ITSM track, the Atlassian Empowerment track, and the Demo track provided valuable insights and hands-on experiences. 

The ITSM track featured experts like Rodney Nissen, famously known as The Jira Guy, who addressed the common concern of managing overwhelming ticket queues. 

Claudia Reforgiato, a Mission Director at Atlassian, shared her extensive experience in complex Cloud migrations, offering insights into Atlassian’s vision for Cloud and the tools and frameworks for successful Cloud transformations.

As the day progressed, attendees were not only treated to enriching daytime sessions but were also invited to join an exclusive “Night Talk” during the after-party. This inaugural event gathered outstanding experts in the empire of AI for a unique AI-driven discussion based on questions and topics raised during the conference.

The panel discussion was led by Michał Dulemba, a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Egnyte and a podcaster at nieliniowy.pl. He was joined by a lineup of renowned experts, including:

The “Night Talk” provided attendees with a unique opportunity to dive deep into the world of AI and gain insights from the best in the industry, offering a glimpse into the future of technology and innovation.

Firstly, the discussion delved into the intriguing question of why the Atlassian Marketplace didn’t initially explode with AI-based apps. It was suggested that the need to use OpenAI’s API often incurred additional, and at times unpredictable, costs on top of app purchases due to token usage.

One fascinating aspect discussed was the localization of language models, which goes beyond just grammatical correctness but also encompasses cultural nuances. Despite its [model’s] ability to respond in different languages, it struggles to provide answers in the context of social and cultural specifics. This limitation significantly narrows the tool’s utility in local contexts.

In Poland, the SpeakLeash project, co-developed by the R&D team at Deviniti, is already addressing these issues by curating a Polish text corpus to train specific language models.

The “Night Talk” session thus provided a platform for insightful discussions that transcend technology and delve into the implications, challenges, and potential solutions in the landscape of AI and language models.

As the sun set on the first day of Jira Day ’23, the excitement was far from over. The event continued into the evening with an exclusive afterparty that promised to be a night to remember. It was the perfect opportunity to unwind, connect with fellow attendees, and dive into more captivating discussions. It was a time to let loose, relax, and share insights in a laid-back atmosphere. 

With experts and enthusiasts from the Atlassian community coming together, the afterparty was a vibrant extension of the day, ensuring that the Jira Day ’23 experience was not confined to the presentations alone. It was an evening of celebration and collaboration, highlighting the strong sense of community within the Jira Day ’23 event.

As we started Day Two at Jira Day ’23, we had a refreshing morning activity along the Vistula River. This exciting event was led by Maciek, an extraordinary athlete with a remarkable track record, including being the youngest Polish conqueror of Kilimanjaro and the youngest European to swim across the Gibraltar Strait. But rather than just hearing about his feats, we had the opportunity to meet him in person. It was open to everyone, and we did some quick exercises. Plus, it was a good chance to chat about our experiences from the first day. This fun morning activity got us all ready for more learning and inspiration at Jira Day.

With the inaugural day of Jira Day ’23 setting high expectations, the second day did not disappoint. Attendees were in for a treat with a lineup of enlightening presentations, discussions, and demos designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Atlassian ecosystem and its applications. As the sun rose on the second day, it brought with it the promise of honing skills, exploring real-world case studies, and staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and solutions.

Presentation title: On the Right Track: Watching Development Progress at an Enterprise-Scale Company
Speakers: Joanna Maciąg, IT Manager at Motorola Solutions, and Marcin Najgebauer, Senior Application Engineer

In this enlightening presentation, Joanna Maciąg and Marcin Najgebauer delved into the dynamics of monitoring development progress within a large enterprise. With Joanna’s passion for DevOps and Marcin’s expertise in rolling out, administering, and optimizing Atlassian products, attendees were in for a treat. The speakers shared their experience on maintaining equilibrium between team autonomy and the need for unified reporting in an organization. The talk demonstrated how various metrics, such as Story Points, Time Tracking, issue counts, and epics, can be effectively utilized for project planning and progress measurement in JIRA.

Presentation title: Exploring New Possibilities with A4J DC Lookup Issues Action
Speaker: Mateusz Beczek, Software Engineer at Atlassian

Mateusz Beczek, a seasoned Software Engineer at Atlassian, led an exploration of the innovative A4J DC Lookup Issues Action feature. As one of the key contributors to improving the Automation for Jira Data Center (A4J DC) plugin, he shared invaluable insights. Attendees discovered the potential this functionality holds in enhancing their automation experience, opening doors to new and creative ways of leveraging this powerful app. Mateusz’s presentation provided an in-depth look at how automation rules can be optimized for a more efficient Jira experience.

Presentation title: How to Manage Cross-Project Dependencies in Jira
Speaker: Gabriel Wielkopolski, Account Manager at Appfire

Gabriel Wielkopolski, an expert Account Manager at Appfire, took the stage to guide attendees through the complexities of managing cross-project dependencies within Jira. His extensive expertise in project portfolio management solutions shone through as he addressed common challenges faced by teams. Gabriel’s presentation delved deep into resolving visibility problems across projects and offering real-time progress updates. It focused on achieving alignment among teams and ensuring smooth delivery schedules. Attendees left with valuable best practices and practical guidance to effectively handle cross-project dependencies within the Jira ecosystem.

One of the most anticipated sessions was the Ask Me Anything (AMA) discussion panel titled “Migration to Cloud.” Claudia Reforgiato from Atlassian, Katarzyna Dorosz – Żurkowska, Szymon Szerewicz, and Adam Stępień from Deviniti were the experts on the panel. The audience was encouraged to ask burning questions and seek guidance on this critical topic, making it a truly interactive and knowledge-rich experience.

Day two was a dynamic continuation of the event, providing in-depth insights and invaluable networking opportunities. Furthermore, Jira Day ’23 underscored its commitment to equipping attendees with essential tools and knowledge. These sessions effectively broadened horizons, reigniting enthusiasm for exploring Atlassian’s toolset.

Bee is a hero for the environment, and so do Jira Day participants! This year’s event goes beyond technology and innovation. All income generated from conference kits will be donated to support the protection of bees through the Save the Bees Foundation. Their mission includes raising bee awareness, preventing bee diseases and poisoning, promoting Polish honey, and supporting sustainable beekeeping. When you join our conference, you’re not just learning; you’re helping protect the environment and showing bees some love.

Jira Day 2023 was a remarkable journey into the expansive world of Atlassian. Additionally, the conference provided valuable insights into IT service management, digital transformation, and the effective utilization of Atlassian tools. Moreover, attendees were immersed in a dynamic environment where they could learn, interact, and engage with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Furthermore, the after-party, with its inaugural “Night Talk” focused on AI, added an extra layer of excitement to this year’s event.