Jira Align
By Atlassian
Jira Align typical implementation process:
Discovery and readiness: Identify value streams, ARTs/programs, current agile maturity, and objectives; align on framework (SAFe, hybrid, etc.) and scope for an initial “lighthouse” program. Typical planning/discovery spans 2–4 weeks for enterprises starting with one ART/program.
Environment setup: Stand up Jira Align instance, establish roles/permissions, and prepare baseline constructs (portfolios, programs, teams, PIs, sprints) per the chosen cadence (quarterly PI cadence is common). This foundational setup often runs in parallel with discovery over 1–2 weeks.
Integration configuration: Connect Jira Software to Jira Align via the connector; map projects→programs, boards→teams, states/statuses, fields, and custom fields; configure sync windows and verify initial data sync and logs. Allow 1–2 weeks for mapping, testing, and remediation across one ART.
Data modeling and seeding: Define and load strategic snapshots, goals/objectives, themes, epics, and initial features; validate roll-up logic and cross-level reporting. Expect several working sessions over 1–2 weeks for a clean initial dataset.
Training and enablement: Conduct role-based training for executives/portfolio, program/ART leadership, teams, and Jira Align admins; emphasize portfolio views, dependency management, and governance. Training typically occurs across 1–2 weeks around the first PI launch.
Pilot launch with a PI: Run the first Program Increment using Jira Align (often one ART), including PI Planning in-tool, dependency management, and cadence ceremonies; stabilize reporting and address integration edge cases during the PI. The initial pilot phase commonly spans ~8–12 weeks end-to-end (discovery through first PI).
Jira Align can be customized extensively to fit specific business needs across strategic, portfolio, program, and team levels.
Custom Fields
Create custom fields for most types of work items (Themes, Epics, Features, Stories, Tasks, Defects, Objectives, Dependencies, Risks, etc.), and define which are required or visible.
Custom fields can be portfolio-specific, allowing differentiated data capture across business units.
Custom Terminology: All terminology (labels, objects, statuses) can be adapted to match organizational language and processes.
Workflow and Status Mapping: Map Jira Align work item states, process steps, and statuses to those in Jira Software, supporting custom process flows per business requirement.
Field and Data Integration:
Map Jira Software custom fields to Jira Align fields using the Field Management interface, including sync directions and multi-value mapping.
Integration supports custom story types and unique workflows.
Portfolio and Program Autonomy: Enable or disable capabilities for specific portfolios or programs, providing local autonomy over features and data structure.
Process Flow Configuration: User-defined process flows at the portfolio and program level dictate how work progresses and allow custom validations and business rule enforcement.
Custom Reporting and Dashboards: Build custom dashboards, views, and reports—pulling and aggregating data from both inside and outside Jira Align.
Enterprise Insights Customization: Atlassian Analytics enables customization of the data schema, aligning reporting and analytics with unique business metrics and KPIs.
Custom Value Streams and Hierarchies: Model business strategy, objectives, and value streams directly in the platform—customizing mission, vision, strategic themes, and artifact hierarchies.
Jira Align involves several additional costs beyond standard licensing, often tailored to enterprise needs and scale.
Setup/Implementation Fees
Most deployments include a “Jumpstart” or onboarding package, commonly priced around $35,000–$50,000 for initial setup, configuration, and launch of one or two ARTs/programs.
This fee includes consultation, best-practices setup, and hands-on configuration by certified Atlassian partners or consultants.
Annual Subscription/Licensing
Annual software licensing is the primary ongoing cost, calculated by the number of “Align” (strategic) users and integrated Jira users, often ranging from $75,000–$250,000+ per year for medium to large organizations. Large enterprises may see higher costs.
Support and Maintenance
Standard support is generally included in the subscription. Enhanced support tiers (enterprise or unlimited) may incur additional charges, with coverage and SLAs tailored to organizational requirements.
Ongoing maintenance, updates, and platform hosting are bundled with the subscription fee.
Expansion/Professional Services
Further configuration, custom integrations, ongoing training, or rollout to additional ARTs/programs can involve hourly or project-based fees, variable by partner and complexity.
Custom Reporting/Advanced Analytics
Out-of-the-box reporting is included, but highly customized analytics, dashboards, or integration with external BI tools may require additional licenses or professional services.
Trial and Free Version
Jira Align offers training and support programs for new users, spanning self-paced courses, instructor-led workshops, and in-tool help resources.
Atlassian University Courses
Self-paced online courses for different roles, including basic navigation, PI Planning, backlog management, reporting, and workflow configuration.
"Jira Align Program Essentials" is a dedicated track for program managers and scrum masters that focuses on planning, dependency management, and strategic portfolio coordination.
Courses range from beginner to advanced, with certification options for key roles and topics.
Instructor-led Workshops
Virtual and onsite workshops led by certified Atlassian trainers, covering setup, configuration, custom workflows, and data integration.
Role-based sessions (executive, portfolio, program, team) and hands-on labs are available to accelerate onboarding.
Webinars and Demo Sessions
Live and recorded webinars introduce Jira Align features, UI, strategic planning use cases, and best practices for agile scaling.
Regular sessions help teams get started and answer common questions.
In-App Help and Documentation
Comprehensive help center offering user guides, FAQs, process documentation, and feature walkthroughs.
Embedded tooltips and guided prompts within Jira Align facilitate in-context learning.
Live Support
Standard support, including ticketing and chat, is bundled with Jira Align subscriptions.
Enterprise and enhanced SLAs may be available for larger deployments or strategic customers, offering dedicated account managers and prioritized troubleshooting.
Partner-Led Onboarding
Jira Align implements multiple layers of security to protect enterprise data, following industry-leading standards and compliance frameworks.
Data Encryption
Data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.2+ for all communications with perfect forward secrecy.
Mutual TLS and two-way SSL authentication can be enabled for integrations with Jira, further enhancing the confidentiality and integrity of exchanged data.
Physical and Infrastructure Security
Jira Align is hosted in SOC 2 certified data centers via AWS, providing fault tolerance, high availability, and strong physical security controls.
Access Control and Identity Management
SAML SSO, multifactor authentication (MFA), and SCIM provisioning supported via Atlassian Guard for robust user and credential management.
Granular permissions, customizable user roles, and IP allowlisting prevent unauthorized access.
Redundancy and Availability
Data is stored redundantly across multiple geographically diverse sites for optimal performance and disaster recovery.
Compliance
Certified for SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27018, and GDPR, with operational audits and transparent security practices.
Monitoring and Vulnerability Management
Continuous monitoring, centralized security operations, external penetration testing, and a bug bounty program to address vulnerabilities quickly.
Regular security advisories and updates to maintain application integrity.
Data Privacy
Pre-signed Data Processing Addendum (DPA) helps organizations comply with GDPR and onward transfer regulations for personal data.
Shared Responsibility Model
Jira Align releases updates on a regular, predictable schedule, with major feature releases every four weeks and maintenance/bug-fix releases nearly every week.
Major new features are rolled out every four weeks (monthly) to sandbox environments first, followed by production environments two weeks later. This allows organizations to preview, test, and prepare for upcoming changes before live deployment.
Security, bug, and minor changes are deployed weekly throughout the release cycle to maintain platform stability and address high-priority issues promptly.
Critical fixes can be pushed on-demand outside normal scheduled releases, ensuring urgent problems are addressed immediately and communicated via separate release notes.
Environment Tracks:
Sandbox environments (testing) receive all incremental updates on a continuous track for early access and validation.
Production environments (live) typically use a “bundled” track, getting major and tested releases and fixes just after they’ve been proven stable in sandbox
Communication:
Release notes, alert emails, and Atlassian’s Help Center documents provide details on new features, issues addressed, and what admins/users need to know for each update.
Jira Align’s data ownership and portability policy is designed to ensure customers retain control over their data and can move it as needed, in compliance with enterprise standards and regulations.
Customers own all intellectual property and rights to the data and content they provide to Jira Align.
Atlassian’s customer agreement stipulates that user organizations retain sole ownership of uploaded, created, and managed business data, including work items, configuration, and customizations.
Atlassian only processes customer data for the delivery and improvement of the service, respecting privacy and non-disclosure provisions as detailed in its Privacy Policy and Data Processing Addendum (DPA).
Data portability is supported through multiple export mechanisms, including report exports, API-driven extraction, and content export functions, allowing customers to retrieve their information in a standardized format when terminating or migrating accounts.
GDPR compliance ensures users have the right to request their personal and business data be exported to another provider (right to data portability), and Atlassian provides tooling and guidance for fulfilling such requests.
Jira Align is designed to be scalable, allowing organizations to increase or decrease user licenses and modules as their business changes. The platform supports flexible tier adjustment and license management practices in alignment with enterprise needs.
Organizations can add new user licenses and activate additional modules or ARTs/programs at any point during their subscription.
Expansion typically follows a rolling contract mechanism: extra seats are billed proportionally for the remainder of the contract period and then rolled into the main renewal at the next cycle.
Licensing dashboards and exportable usage reports help admins monitor actual usage and proactively adjust license allocation to match growth in teams, portfolios, or integration needs.
Reducing license tiers is possible, but generally must be scheduled before contract renewal, since downgrades take effect at renewal points.
Inactive users and unused licenses should be deactivated in the system to align actual seat counts with requirements; automation tools and export/import functions facilitate bulk license reclamation.
Tier reductions or module removals may require a contract amendment; organizations should work with Atlassian or their solution partners to ensure the change is reflected in renewed agreements.
For multi-year contracts, scaling down may only be possible at each contract anniversary, so regular review of usage and planning is recommended.
Jira Align contracts are structured with enterprise agility in mind, enabling seat management, module activation/deactivation, and integration flexibility to support rapid organizational change.
Jira Align’s contract renewal and cancellation terms provide organizations with flexibility for managing subscriptions, while ensuring compliance with Atlassian’s standard agreements and policies.
Contracts are typically annual (or multi-year), with renewal options at each term’s end; renewal dates and terms are specified in the initial agreement or discussed during renewal conversations.
Atlassian may update contractual terms or product-specific policies; such changes generally take effect at renewal unless a compliance change requires earlier adoption. Customers can terminate the contract if major policy changes occur and object within 30 days of receiving notification.
License upgrades, tier changes, and co-terming (aligning licenses to a single renewal date) are supported through Atlassian and partners during renewal cycles, helping organizations streamline license management.
Customers can terminate Jira Align subscriptions "for convenience" at any time by providing notice; however, unused fees for the current subscription period are not refundable unless termination occurs for cause (e.g., breach, insolvency).
If the contract is cancelled for cause, such as Atlassian’s material breach, insolvency, or business closure, the customer is eligible for a refund of prepaid, unused fees for the remaining term.
Cancellation is managed through the Atlassian admin portal; customers must disable access and delete all license/access keys and data copies post-termination.
Jira Align meets a set of industry and regulatory compliance standards to support enterprise and regulated environments.
SOC 2 and SOC 3: Audited annually for the AICPA Trust Service Criteria (security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, privacy).
ISO Certifications:
ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management System)
ISO/IEC 27018 (Cloud Privacy).
PCI DSS: Certified for handling and processing payment data in regulated environments.
GDPR: Aligned with General Data Protection Regulation for EU personal data protection and user rights, with detailed DPA and portability tools.
CSA STAR (Cloud Security Alliance): Listed in the CSA STAR Registry for transparency on cloud security controls and assessment.
FedRAMP: Atlassian offers FedRAMP Moderate for certain cloud products, though customers should confirm applicability for Jira Align’s specific hosting context.
