Tuesday Brief: Every project manager knows the sinking feeling when a stakeholder asks, "When will this be delivered?" and you realize your answer is based more on hope than data. The difference between PMs who confidently provide realistic timelines and those who scramble with best guesses often comes down to understanding capacity planning fundamentals that turn speculation into strategic advantage. Bonus - We're opening up this lesson to everyone for free again this week!
July 22, 2025
In This Issue:
Featured Article: Introduction to Jira
FREE Lesson: When Will I Be Done? Capacity Planning with Jira (No Paywall!)
Poll: What project management skill would make the biggest difference?
Upcoming Live Event (7/30): Jira Essentials: A Beginner's Guide
PM Best Practices: The Planning Reality Check
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Featured Article: Introduction to Jira
Whether you're managing software development projects or coordinating cross-functional teams, understanding Jira's core principles can transform how your organization approaches project management. This comprehensive guide explores Jira's evolution from a simple issue tracker to the world's most widely-used project management platform.
You'll discover:
How Jira supports both Scrum and Kanban methodologies
Why 87% of agile practitioners choose Scrum for their framework
The key differences between iterative and traditional project approaches
How to align agile prioritization with broader organizational objectives
From its humble beginnings in 2002 to becoming the cornerstone of modern project management, Jira's success stems from its ability to adapt to diverse team needs while maintaining the structured approach that drives results.
FREE Lesson: When Will I Be Done? Capacity Planning with Jira
Special Access: We're offering this comprehensive Jira training completely free to all project managersβno membership required!
Digital Transformation Leader Vlad Petrescu tackles the question that keeps project managers awake at night: "When will I actually be done?" Through practical demonstrations and real-world scenarios, you'll learn how to use Jira's capacity planning tools to provide accurate, data-driven answers to stakeholders.
Essential topics covered:
Common capacity planning fallacies that derail projects
Prerequisites for efficient planning that most teams overlook
Jira's built-in functionality vs. third-party capacity planning apps
Live demonstration of out-of-the-box Jira capacity features
π Worth 1 PMI PDU: This 60-minute session includes a Q&A segment where Vlad addresses specific capacity planning challenges. Earn 1 PDU (Ways of Working) while gaining practical skills you can implement immediately.
Live Event (7/30): Jira Essentials - A Beginner's Guide
New to Jira or need a solid refresher? Join Vlad Petrescu for this hands-on introduction designed specifically for professionals who want to manage projects more effectively using Atlassian's powerful platform.
This practical session covers the fundamentals you need to confidently navigate Jira, from understanding projects and issues to configuring workflows that reflect your actual processes.
What You'll Master:
Core Jira structure: projects, issues, and workflows
Creating, assigning, and tracking tasks, bugs, and stories
Using boards, filters, and dashboards for better visibility
Best practices for managing backlogs, sprints, and releases
ποΈ Wednesday, July 30 π 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDTβ π Live on Zoom π 1 PMI PDU: Business Acumen
MPUG host 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 PDU's.
Before diving into capacity planning tools, establish your baseline reality. Ask three critical questions: 1) What's our team's actual velocity based on completed work, not estimates? 2) What external dependencies consistently impact our timelines? 3) How much buffer time do we typically need for unexpected issues? This foundation makes any capacity planning tool, including Jira, significantly more accurate and valuable.
