Goals and projects
All SHIP-HATS Atlassian (Jira and Confluence) users now automatically have access to Atlassian goals and projects at no additional cost.
What are Atlassian goals and projects?
Goals turn your agency’s vision into measurable outcomes.
Example: Reduce permit processing time by 20%.
Projects act as status hubs for initiatives, making it easy to track milestones, risks, and updates. Note: They are not the standard Jira project but a high-level way to track progress across multiple teams or Jira projects.
Both integrate with Jira and Confluence, so progress flows from frontline tasks through to strategic outcomes. The following example explains this:
North Star analogy
North Star: The ministry’s ultimate objective—“Reduce permit processing time by 20%”.
Goal (Atlassian Goal): North star itself is the Atlassian Goal.
Provides a measurable target (20% reduction) to align teams and track success.
Projects (Atlassian Projects): Initiatives that drive progress toward the Goal.
Each project has clear deliverables and milestones:
- E-service portal upgrade project
Modernises online submission systems.
Tracks system testing, pilot launch, full deployment.
- Staff training project
Trains officers on new digital workflows.
Tracks sessions completed, feedback scores, adoption rates.
- Form digitisation project
Converts paper forms into digital formats.
Tracks departmental progress and exceptions.
How they connect:
Each project contributes measurable outcomes toward the Goal.
Atlassian’s tracking shows progress at both the project and goal levels, giving leaders a real-time view of how close they are to reaching the north star.
Use cases for goals and projects
| Use goals when | Use projects when | Use both (recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| You need to express high-level outcomes and strategic objectives that align work across teams or the organisation. | You want to manage and share progress on specific initiatives, programmes, or deliverables. | Link projects to parent goals to ensure tactical work supports strategic aims. |
| You want to define or communicate long-term objectives and measure their impact. | You’re delivering time-bound, scoped work with clear milestones. | Use goals to set direction, and projects to track execution. |
| Work spans multiple teams or departments. | Leaders and stakeholders need regular updates on status, risks, and decisions. | Example: Goal – Improve citizen online service experience → Projects – “Accessibility upgrade”, “Mobile app launch”. |
How goals and projects fit together
| Feature | Atlassian goals | Atlassian projects |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Define and track strategic outcomes (the why). | Track initiatives and updates (the how). |
| Typical users | Senior leaders, programme teams. | Project managers, team leads. |
| Example | “Achieve 99.9% uptime for citizen services.” | “Cloud migration for Department of Health.” |
| Jira integration | Shows if work aligns with strategy. | Links Jira work items for status. |
Benefits
- Transparency: Show how day-to-day work contributes to wider organisational outcomes.
- Efficiency: Reduce reliance on spreadsheets and manual reports—status updates flow automatically.
- Accountability: Goal and project owners provide regular updates, so leaders can see progress and blockers.
- Compliance: Built on Atlassian SaaS, meeting public sector standards.
Current limitations (as of September 2025)
Goals
- Visible to all SHIP-HATS Atlassian Cloud users.
- No privacy controls for sensitive objectives yet.
- Avoid entering confidential details until permissions are introduced.
Projects
- Already support view and edit restrictions.
- Suitable for private or sensitive initiatives.
