New Article: It's Not Unusual - Why Projects Behave Badly and Why Good PMs Expect It
Resource Article: Decoding Jira - A Comprehensive Guide to Structure, Workflow, and Best Practices
Video Tutorial: Intro to Jira Plans - Team Capacity Planning
Live Event (5/27): Jira Plans Part 2 - The Deep End
PM Best Practice: Set Capacity Before You Start Planning
Tuesday Brief: Ronald B. Smith wants to know why you're still surprised when projects go sideways (fair question). Meanwhile, J. Caldwell and Jordan Dowdy are back tomorrow with Part 2 of their Jira Plans deep dive, and we've got a quick article and video to get you warmed up before the session.
New Article:It's Not Unusual — Why Projects Behave Badly and Why Good PMs Expect It
Ronald B. Smith has a question for every PM who's ever been shocked by scope creep, a disappearing stakeholder, or a deadline that was never realistic in the first place: why are you surprised? This article walks through the recurring patterns that derail projects and argues that the real skill isn't preventing chaos. It's recognizing it early enough to build systems that absorb it. Ronald's writing is sharp, funny, and grounded in the kind of experience that only comes from watching the same things go wrong enough times to stop flinching.
A good read for your morning coffee before things inevitably go sideways.
Resource Article: Decoding Jira — A Comprehensive Guide to Structure, Workflow, and Best Practices
If you're planning to join tomorrow's Jira Plans Part 2 session, this article is worth a look first. It covers Jira's project hierarchy from initiatives and epics down to stories and tasks, walks through workflow customization, and lays out the collaboration best practices that keep teams from stepping on each other. Having the foundational structure clear in your head will make the advanced planning features J. and Jordan cover tomorrow land a lot harder.
Video Tutorial: Intro to Jira Plans - Team Capacity Planning
This 7-minute walkthrough from Atlassian's Arin Kuijaya shows you exactly how to set up and use team capacity planning in Jira Plans. You'll see how to configure capacity for hours or story points, read sprint vs. weekly iteration views, and spot over-capacity situations before they become problems. It's the practical "here's how the buttons work" primer that pairs directly with tomorrow's deeper dive into auto-scheduling and configuration.
Live Event (5/27): Jira Plans Part 2 - The Deep End; Auto-Scheduling, Capacity Planning & Advanced Features
J. Caldwell and Jordan Dowdy from Envorso are back for Part 2 of their Jira Plans series, and this session goes where Part 1 didn't. Building on the foundational Timelines and Plans walkthrough from March, this session takes you into the advanced features that separate teams who use Jira Plans from teams who get real planning value out of it.
What You'll Learn:
How auto-scheduling works and how to configure it for your team's workflow
Capacity planning tools for managing workload across teams and sprints
Key configuration options that unlock more from Jira Plans
Current limitations and boundaries so you can set realistic expectations
🗓️ Wednesday, May 27, 2026 🕛 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET 📍 Live on Zoom 🏅 1 PDU (1 Business Acumen)
MPUG members get live access and replays. Not a member yet? Join today or start your free 7-day trial. SPECIAL OFFER: New members get $30 off annual membership when you join by May 31!
Upcoming Live Events
MPUG hosts live events with leading experts on Wednesdays from 12:00pm - 1:00pm ET! MPUG members get access to live events where you get direct access to industry leaders, actionable insights, hands-on training, and opportunities to earn PDUs.
5/27/2026: Jira Plans Part 2 – The Deep End: Auto-Scheduling, Capacity Planning & Advanced Features | Learn More + Register Here
PM Best Practice: Set Capacity Before You Start Planning
Before you drag a single work item into a sprint or iteration, define your team's actual capacity first. Account for meetings, support rotations, PTO, and overhead. Teams that plan against theoretical hours consistently over-commit; teams that plan against realistic availability consistently deliver. It takes ten minutes at the start of a planning cycle and saves you from renegotiating scope mid-sprint.
