The Atlassian Strategy Collection is Atlassian’s answer to a question most portfolio leaders still answer with slides: is our money and talent going to the work that matters most? The collection bundles three apps, Focus, Talent, and Jira Align, so priorities, people, and delivery sit in one connected model. Here is what each app does, how they connect, and what to settle before you buy.
What the Atlassian Strategy Collection includes
Atlassian unveiled the collection at Team ’25 in April 2025. In particular, it is built for leaders of technology-driven enterprises who need one view from strategy to delivery. Seats are purchased at the collection level, so every seat includes all three apps.
| App | What it does | Primary users |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Strategic planning hub. Sets priorities as focus areas, models scenarios, and links goals, work, and funding. | Executives, strategy and portfolio offices |
| Talent | Workforce planning. Maps positions, skills, and people to focus areas and flags capacity gaps. | Business leaders, HR partners, resource managers |
| Jira Align | Enterprise agile planning. Connects OKRs and strategic goals to program delivery across value streams and tracks dependencies. | Portfolio managers, Release Train Engineers |
At first, Talent was in early access. Atlassian then made it generally available to all Strategy Collection customers at the end of June 2025.
How Focus, Talent, and Jira Align connect strategy to delivery
The value of the collection is in the links between the apps, not in any one app. In practice, the flow runs in four steps.
- Set the strategy in Focus. Leaders define focus areas at the top level. Those goals are then visible across Atlassian apps and teams.
- Link the work. Epics and higher-level items from Jira, Jira Align, and Atlassian Projects are linked to a focus area. Progress rolls up automatically, so at-risk priorities surface early.
- Attach the money. Focus connects financial data to focus areas. As a result, leaders see budgets and investments next to the strategy they fund.
- Staff the priorities. Talent shows which positions and skills support each focus area. Leaders can spot gaps and move people where they are needed.
Consequently, the quarterly business review changes. Instead of debating whose spreadsheet is right, leaders look at one view of funding, people, and progress for each priority.
Where Jira Align fits for SAFe organizations
Many organizations looking at the Atlassian Strategy Collection already run Jira Align for SAFe. For them, the collection adds two layers. Focus sits above the portfolio as the place where strategy and funding are decided. Talent sits beside it and answers the staffing question that capacity planning only partly covers.
However, Jira Align does not go away. It remains the system for program increments, value streams, objectives, and cross-team dependencies. Focus consumes Jira Align epics; it does not replace PI Planning. If a train is preparing for its next increment, our PI Planning readiness checklist for Jira Align still applies.
Existing Jira Align customers can add Focus and Talent through their Atlassian account team. When Atlassian announced the collection, it said current Align customers would receive the full collection at no additional cost. Confirm the current terms with your account team before you plan a budget.
Prerequisites and decisions before you buy
The collection is not a self-serve purchase. Atlassian’s pricing page lists several requirements that shape the rollout plan.
- Jira Cloud Premium is the minimum. Free and Standard Jira customers must upgrade first.
- Cloud only. The apps are provisioned inside an Atlassian Cloud organization and site.
- Annual contracts through Atlassian sales. There is no free trial.
- Connections need admins. An app admin connects Jira sites to Focus. Connecting Jira Align requires a request to Atlassian Support.
- Mind the limits. A focus area holds up to 250 linked work items, including archived ones. Therefore, plan the hierarchy before you link everything.
For organizations still on Data Center, the Cloud requirement ties this decision to the Atlassian Data Center end-of-life timeline. Plan the two together rather than one after the other.
A 60-day adoption plan for the Atlassian Strategy Collection
For this reason, we recommend starting narrow. One portfolio, one planning cycle, and a small set of focus areas will teach you more than a big-bang rollout.
- Days 1 to 15: Agree on the strategy model. Define three to seven top-level focus areas and name an owner for each. Decide which level of work links to Focus, usually epics or portfolio epics.
- Days 16 to 30: Connect and clean. Connect Jira sites and request the Jira Align connection. Next, fix orphaned epics that do not roll up to a theme or objective.
- Days 31 to 45: Add funding and people. Load budget data for the pilot focus areas and map positions in Talent. Review the data with finance and HR before leaders see it.
- Days 46 to 60: Run one real review. Use Focus in a live portfolio or quarterly business review. Then capture what leaders asked that the tool could not answer, and close those gaps.
Above all, keep governance light. The goal is fewer slide decks and faster decisions, not a new reporting burden for delivery teams.
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy Focus or Talent on their own?
Atlassian sells Focus, Talent, and Jira Align together as the Strategy Collection. Seats are purchased for the collection and include all three apps.
Do we need Jira Align to use Focus?
No. Focus links work from Jira Premium and Enterprise, Atlassian Projects, and Jira Align. Jira Align adds the most value when you run SAFe or need program-level dependency management.
Does the Atlassian Strategy Collection work with Data Center?
No. Instead, it is a Cloud offering and requires an Atlassian Cloud organization with Jira Cloud Premium or higher.
How VTPMO can help
Our Atlassian Certified Professionals have implemented Jira Align and SAFe portfolios for organizations such as Visa and the Federal Reserve Banks. We can help you design the focus area model, connect delivery data, and run your first portfolio review. See our Scaled Agile and Jira Align services and Atlassian services, or talk with us about a Strategy Collection readiness review.
Sources
- Atlassian: Introducing the Strategy Collection (April 2025)
- Atlassian: Strategy Collection overview
- Atlassian: Strategy Collection pricing and requirements
- Atlassian: Talent now available for workforce planning (June 2025)
- Atlassian Support: Add work to focus areas
- Atlassian Support: Connect Atlassian apps to Focus