In this episode, we sit down with Kristjan Mathiesen, who recently joined Atlassian's Certification team as a Technical Subject Matter Expert, to take a comprehensive look at one of the most valuable — and often underutilized — resources in the Atlassian ecosystem: the certification program.

Kristjan walks us through the full history of Atlassian credentialing, from the early days of the Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP) exams — high-stakes, proctored assessments designed to validate deep product knowledge — through the evolution of the program into a broader ecosystem of credentials. We cover the early ACP exams, how they came to be, why they were built the way they were, and who they were designed to serve. We also dig into the Atlassian Certified Associate (ACA) and Atlassian Certified Hands-on (ACH) credentials — the latter being a lower-stakes, non-proctored, open-book format aimed at a different audience entirely.

Then we look at where the program stands today. All exams now live on the Certiverse platform, making the entire certification journey fully online — no more trekking to a testing center. Other changes are afoot this year, rolling out with the release of the updated ACP-520.

We close the episode with a bigger-picture conversation about the value of credentials in today's job market. Kristjan shares his perspective on why certifications matter more than ever in a world where learning moves fast — where a college degree still carries weight, but hands-on, specialized credentials are increasingly what validates real-world expertise to employers.

Whether you're already certified, considering your first exam, or just curious about where the Atlassian credentialing program is headed, this episode is for you.

Subscribe, leave a review, and let us know — are you certified?

Thank you to ikuTeam for connecting and collaborating with The Jira Life. 

https://ikuteam.com

The Jira Life

=====================================

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!

https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:

https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts:

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/

https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/

https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer:

- "King Bob" Robert Wen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz

Music provided by Monstercat:

=====================================

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct

What does it take to create a hands-on Atlassian event from the ground up? This week, we sit down with some of the organizers behind Build IT Together — Lina Ortiz, Shawn Doyle, and Josh Golosinskiy — to hear the full story of how a community idea became one of the most practical Atlassian gatherings around.

We trace the origins back to the Atlassian Builders Summit, the spark that planted the seed for something different: an event where attendees don't just sit through sessions — they actually build. The team walks us through the evolution of that vision into Build IT Together, a two-day, in-person training and conference held right before Atlassian Team '26 in Anaheim, California.

We dig into what makes BIT stand out from a typical conference. Attendees pick a real problem, choose a learning track — Rovo AI Agents, Forge Apps, Project Management, or Enterprise Service Management — and leave with a working solution, not just notes they'll never use. It's beginner-friendly, technically deep, and built by practitioners for practitioners.

Lina, Shawn, and Josh share what goes into curating the speaker lineup, designing tracks that produce real outcomes, and building the kind of room where Jira admins, consultants, and project managers feel right at home. We also talk about the unique positioning of BIT right before Team '26 — so attendees can go from building to being inspired in the same week.

Whether you're thinking about attending, speaking, or just want to understand what a community-driven Atlassian event looks like from the inside, this episode is for you.

🗓 Build IT Together takes place May 4–5, 2026 at the Clarion Hotel in Anaheim — a short walk from the Team '26 venue.

🎟 Tickets start at $47 for the conference day, or $447 for the full training + conference experience.

Learn more and grab your seat at https://buildittogether.events

Thank you to ikuTeam for connecting and collaborating with The Jira Life. 

https://ikuteam.com

The Jira Life

=====================================

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!

https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:

https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts:

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/

https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/

https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer:

- "King Bob" Robert Wen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz

Music provided by Monstercat:

=====================================

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct

Forget your sprints. Abandon your backlogs. This week, the crew is bocking the system and doing a full retrospective on the only meaty morsels that matter: chicken tenders and nuggets.

We kick things off with the question that has haunted humanity since the dawn of the deep fryer — who has the best chicken tenders? Our panel of highly unqualified experts (namely our TJL crew) are joined by a special mystery guest to weigh in on the crunch factor, the tenderness-to-breading ratio, and the all-important "structural integrity during dipping" metric. It's a full audit, and not everyone makes it out alive.

Then we pivot to the sauce standup — a lively, occasionally heated discussion about the condiments that make or break the whole experience. Ranch loyalists will face off against honey mustard truthers. There will be drama. There will be tears. There may be a barbecue sauce apologist. You've been warned.

And finally, things get spicy — like, genuinely, medically questionable spicy — as the TJL crew with mystery guest straps in for our very own "Hot Ones"-style challenge. Watch your favorite project management podcasters discover that they have absolutely no business eating hot sauce ranked beyond Level 4. Their composure will crumble faster than a badly scoped Q3 roadmap.

Whether you're team tender or team nugget, a dipper or a dunker, a ranch ride-or-die or a rogue aioli person — this one's for you.

🍗 New episodes drop every week. Cluck yeah.

The Jira Life is not responsible for any sauce-related disputes, spontaneous hunger, or sudden urges to order a 20-piece at 11pm.

Thank you to ikuTeam for connecting and collaborating with The Jira Life. 

https://ikuteam.com

The Jira Life

=====================================

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!

https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:

https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts:

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/

https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/

https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer:

- "King Bob" Robert Wen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz

Music provided by Monstercat:

=====================================

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct

This week on The Jira Life, we’re joined by Ed Gaile of Appfire to explore the intersection of creativity, automation, and the future of teamwork.

We dive into the emerging concept of Vibe Coding—what it is, why it’s resonating with modern teams, and how it shifts the way we think about building and interacting with tools. From there, Ed walks us through the practical side of innovation: connecting the Rovo MCP server to Jira and Confluence to unlock new possibilities for integration, orchestration, and intelligent workflows.

Whether you're experimenting with new development paradigms or looking to push the boundaries of your Atlassian stack, this episode blends vision with hands-on insight in a way only The Jira Life can.

Tune in for a conversation that’s equal parts inspiration and implementation—and maybe catch a new vibe along the way.

The Jira Life

=====================================

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!

https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:

https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts:

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/

https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/

https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer:

- "King Bob" Robert Wen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz

Music provided by Monstercat:

=====================================

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct

This week on The Jira Life, something unexpected has happened… the show has been peacefully (and joyfully) taken over by the Trello community. 🎉

In honor of St. Trello's Day, a legendary celebration of boards, cards, and the power of visual collaboration, the Trello Trailblazers have seized the microphones and transformed the podcast into a whirlwind tour of all things Trello.

Leading the charge are Trello champions Brittany Joiner, Rob Hean, and Mike Day, who bring their trademark enthusiasm—and just a little mischief—to The Jira Life studio.

In this whimsical episode, the Trailblazers explore:

- Why Trello deserves its own holiday (and how St. Trello Day came to be) 🎈

- The magic of boards, lists, and cards that keeps teams organized across the world

- Creative and unexpected ways people are using Trello—from project management to life planning

- Friendly debates about when Trello shines brightest in the Atlassian ecosystem

Expect laughs, playful jabs at Jira, and plenty of practical tips for anyone who loves visual workflows. Whether you're a Trello devotee, a curious Jira user, or just here for the celebration, this episode proves that sometimes the best way to talk about productivity tools… is to throw a party for them. 🟩✨

So grab a card, move it to “Done,” and join us for a festive—and slightly rebellious—edition of The Jira Life.

The Trello Life

=====================================

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!

https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:

https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts:

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/

https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/

https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer:

- "King Bob" Robert Wen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz

Music provided by Monstercat:

=====================================

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct

The Jira Life reacts to news of layoffs at Atlassian

The Atlassian ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and the ripple effects are being felt across customers, Solution Partners, and Marketplace vendors alike. In this episode of The Jira Life, we welcome Dzmitry Hyrb, who joins us to explore how Atlassian’s strategic shifts are reshaping the way organizations think about tools, solutions, and collaboration within the ecosystem.

We start by unpacking the current state of the Atlassian ecosystem and what Atlassian’s changing strategy means for the companies building on top of the platform. Dzmitry shares insights from the perspective of Marketplace vendors, including how Stiltsoft is repositioning its flagship apps in response to evolving customer expectations and platform direction.

From there, the conversation moves to a broader product philosophy question: are we gradually moving away from Jira-led work management toward a model where Confluence and Rovo take a more central role? Rather than focusing purely on AI, we examine the deeper mindset shift behind how teams structure work, knowledge, and decision-making across the Atlassian platform.

Finally, we tackle a classic ecosystem challenge: vendors are from Mars, customers and partners are from Venus. How can all sides meet on common ground? We discuss the difference between a true solution and a simple bundle of products, and what it takes for vendors, partners, and customers to better understand each other and succeed together as one ecosystem team.

If you care about the future direction of Atlassian tools and the Marketplace—and how to navigate the changes—this is an episode you won’t want to miss. 🎧

The Jira Life

=====================================

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!

https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:

https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts:

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/

https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/

https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer:

- "King Bob" Robert Wen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz

Music provided by Monstercat:

=====================================

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct

In this emergency episode, Alex and King Bob talk about the upcoming closing of the Austin and Manila Atlassian offices, the current performance of Atlassian's stock and whether storm clouds are ahead for Atlassian.

On this episode of The Jira Life, we're joined by Walter Buggenhout for a deep dive into modern work planning across the Atlassian ecosystem. 

Planning work in Jira is about more than just creating issues and moving them across a board. Walter brings his expertise to the table to explore how teams can connect vision to execution using Jira and complementary tools like Jira Product Discovery, Rovo, and the Strategy Collection. 

We'll unpack how to: 

• Align product ideas and strategic goals with delivery work 

• Prioritize effectively using Jira Product Discovery 

• Leverage Rovo's AI-powered insights to surface knowledge and accelerate decision-making 

• Connect high-level strategy to day-to-day execution with the Strategy Collection 

• Avoid common pitfalls when scaling planning across teams 

Whether you're a product leader mapping out long-term initiatives or a delivery team trying to bring clarity to your backlog, this episode is packed with practical insights on creating a cohesive planning system inside Atlassian Cloud. If you've ever struggled to bridge the gap between strategy and sprint work, this conversation is one you won't want to miss.

The Jira Life 

===================================== 

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group! https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts: 

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/ https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/ https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer: 

- "King Bob" Robert Wen https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz 

Music provided by Monstercat: 

===================================== 

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct

Get ready for a deep dive into Jira Cloud migrations and next-level automation on an upcoming episode of The Jira Life!

This week, Przemyslaw Wesolka, founder of JAP Connect joins the TJL crew to talk all things Jira migrations to Cloud and the power of Jira Automation.

Moving from Data Center to Cloud isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic shift. Przemyslaw shares hard-earned lessons from the field, including:

* Common pitfalls teams face during Jira Cloud migrations

* How to approach app assessments and data cleanup before the move

* Governance considerations that often get overlooked

* What actually changes in Cloud (and what surprises teams most)

We’ll also explore how Jira Automation can transform the way teams work post-migration. From reducing manual admin overhead to building scalable, maintainable rules, Przemyslaw walks through practical automation strategies that drive real impact.

Whether you're planning a migration, in the middle of one, or optimizing your Cloud instance after the move, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

Tune in to learn how to migrate smarter, automate better, and get the most out of Jira Cloud.

The Jira Life

=====================================

Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!

https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/

Or Follow us on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jira-life/

Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:

https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/join

Hosts:

- Alex "Dr. Jira" Ortiz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexortiz89/

https://www.youtube.com/@ApetechTechTutorials

- Rodney "The Jira Guy" Nissen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgnissen/

https://thejiraguy.com

- Sarah Wright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/satwright/

Producer:

- "King Bob" Robert Wen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051/

Executive Producer: 

- Lina Ortiz

Music provided by Monstercat:

=====================================

Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercat

Outro: Fractal - Atrium

https://www.youtube.com/c/monstercatinstinct