How to run PI Planning in Jira
A step-by-step guide to running PI Planning on top of Jira with Kendis: set up the board, connect Jira, plan with every team in real time and track the PI, while every epic, feature, story and dependency stays in Jira.
- 15 steps in three phases
- Jira Cloud, Data Center and Server
- Free for 6 months
PI Planning in Jira in three phases
Jump to a phase.
Before PI Planning
Set up the board, connect Jira and load the work, so planning days are spent planning.
Create the PI board
Create a board for the Program Increment and set its start date, end date and iteration length.
Connect Jira
Go to Settings, ALM Accounts and add your Jira: URL, email and an API token for Jira Cloud, or OAuth for Jira Data Center and Server. You can also use the Kendis app from the Atlassian Marketplace.
Check the webhook
Kendis creates the Jira webhook when the connecting user has System Admin or Super Admin rights. Otherwise a Jira admin creates it manually, so changes in Jira reach the board in real time.
Create the teams
Add each team on the train and map it to its Jira board and sprints. Each team gets its own swimlane and colour badge.
Load the features
Bring in features with a Jira filter or a JQL query, and choose the link type that connects their stories: Epic Link, Parent Link or any Jira link type.
Rank and invite
Rank the features, record their business value and invite the train to open the board before the event.
During PI Planning
Teams plan on the board while every change is written to Jira.
Set capacity
At the start of the first breakout, each team sets its capacity for every iteration.
Plan stories into sprints
Teams pull features into iterations and break them into stories. New stories are created in Jira, linked to the feature and assigned to the sprint.
Draw dependencies
Draw dependencies between cards and give each one a status and owner. They sync to Jira as issue links.
Write PI objectives
Write PI objectives, mark them committed or uncommitted, and link them to the features that deliver them.
Check load and review
Check load against capacity for every team and iteration, then present the draft and final plans straight from the board.
ROAM and vote
ROAM the risks in the risk register, link them to the features they affect, and run the confidence vote for each team and the PI.
After PI Planning
The same board tracks the PI against the plan.
Switch to tracking
Switch the board to Tracking. The plan made in the event becomes the baseline.
Track scope change
See features added or removed and stories that moved iteration since the baseline, as they happen in Jira.
Review in ART Sync
Review dependencies and objectives in each ART Sync, and share the board with stakeholders.
How Kendis maps to Jira
| In Kendis | In Jira |
|---|---|
| Features on the board | Epics, features or any parent issue type, chosen with a filter or JQL |
| Stories | Issues linked to the feature by Epic Link, Parent Link or another link type |
| Team swimlane and sprints | A Jira project, board and its sprints |
| Dependencies | Jira issue links, when both items come from Jira |
| Card fields | Summary, key, status, sprint and story points, plus up to 5 extra Jira fields |
| Real-time updates | A Jira webhook for issue, issue link and sprint events |
Get the Jira setup right
Avoid these common issues
- Stories appear on the board only when they are linked to a feature
- Use a Jira link type for dependencies or for parent and child, not both
- Without the webhook, the board needs a manual resync to pick up Jira changes
- A resync removes stories that were unlinked in Jira
Set up for a smooth event
- Ask each planner to add their own Jira API token, so changes show under their name
- Narrow the webhook with JQL to the projects on the train
- Load and rank features a few days before the event
- Map every team to its sprints before the first breakout
Jira setup guides
AI-assisted Jira PI Planning: how Kendis AI helps
Kendis AI, called Charlie, works inside the planning flows you already use. It reads your real board data, so there is no prompt writing.
- ObjectivesGenerates clear, measurable PI Objectives from your planned features and stories, up to ten at a time.
- DependenciesDrafts the summary and description of a dependency from the feature, story, iteration and team involved.
- RisksDescribe a risk in plain language and it proposes a title, description, mitigation actions, probability and impact.
- ReportsBuilds an end of PI Planning report with a health score, dependency analysis and a risk summary.
Kendis AI is part of the ORG Views plan. You can switch ORG Views on for a 14-day trial at any time, including during the six-month free trial. See what Kendis AI does.
Run your next PI Planning in Jira, free for 6 months
Kendis is a PI Planning and tracking platform that sits on top of Jira and Azure DevOps. The free trial runs for six months, long enough to plan and track two full PIs with your real backlog before anyone has to approve a budget.
One trial per organisation that has not used Kendis in the last twelve months. After the trial, Premium Cloud is $14 per user per month billed annually, or $16 monthly, and you license only the people who plan. See pricing and the free trial terms.
- 6 months free, no credit card
- Choose EU hosting (OVHcloud, Frankfurt) or US hosting (AWS)
- Two-way sync with Jira Cloud, Jira Data Center and Azure DevOps
- Planning board, dependencies, PI objectives, ROAM risks, solution boards
- ISO/IEC 27001 certified, GDPR compliant, DORA Schedule available
- No user caps and no setup costs during the trial
Frequently asked questions
What teams ask about running PI Planning in Jira.
Jira holds the backlog, but on its own it has no program board for planning with every team, drawing cross-team dependencies or tracking PI objectives. Kendis adds that board on top of Jira and syncs every change both ways.
Connecting Jira takes an admin a few minutes. Creating the board, mapping teams to sprints and loading features usually fits in one working session before the event.
Any filter or JQL that returns the parent issues you want to plan in this PI, for example the epics or features of the projects on your Agile Release Train. Their linked stories come in automatically.
Yes. When teams break a feature into stories during PI Planning, the stories are created in Jira, linked to the feature and assigned to the sprint.
Yes. The steps are the same; only the connection differs. Jira Data Center and Server connect with OAuth through Application Links or a username and password.