User Guide

BPMN, UML, Workflow Automation & Portfolio Manager for Jira
Last Updated:

1. Getting started

After an administrator installs the app, open it from Apps in the Jira top navigation. The app opens as a global page with six tabs: Projects, Dependencies, Roadmap, Summary, BPMN, and UML.

You'll only ever see projects and issues you already have permission to view in Jira. The app does not widen your access.

2. Portfolio tabs

Projects

Lists your projects with per-project statistics. Use the search box to filter by name, and the facet controls to narrow by project lead, status, or date range.

Dependencies

Renders issue dependency links as a graph. Circular dependencies are detected automatically and flagged so you can break the loop before it stalls delivery.

Roadmap

Plots epics on a timeline using their start and due dates. Overlapping date ranges are highlighted to surface potential resource conflicts.

Summary

Aggregated metrics across the projects you can see.

3. BPMN diagrams

The BPMN tab is a full BPMN 2.0 modelling canvas. Diagrams are organised in a library on the left, each one tied to a Jira project.

  1. Click + New Diagram, give it a name, and pick the project it belongs to.
  2. Build your process using the palette on the left of the canvas.
  3. Select any element to edit its properties in the panel on the right.
  4. Enter a version name, then click Save.

Linked resources

Any diagram element can be linked to a Jira issue and a Confluence page. Once linked, the element offers one-click navigation to that resource — useful for connecting a process step to the work that implements it.

Token simulation

Use the simulation control to step a token through your process and confirm the paths behave as you expect before relying on them.

4. UML diagrams

The UML tab works the same way as BPMN, but diagrams are written as text using Mermaid syntax rather than drawn on a canvas. The editor is split: Mermaid source on the left, a live preview on the right that updates as you type.

Creating a diagram

  1. Click + New Diagram, name it, and choose a project.
  2. Replace the starter template with your own Mermaid source.
  3. Fill in Save as with a version name — this is required before saving.
  4. Optionally add a Message describing what changed, like a commit message.
  5. Click Save.

Supported diagram types

Anything Mermaid supports will render. The most common for UML work:

TypeOpening keyword
Class diagramclassDiagram
Sequence diagramsequenceDiagram
State diagramstateDiagram-v2
Entity relationshiperDiagram
Use case diagramusecaseDiagram
Flowchartflowchart TD

Example: class diagram

classDiagram
    classA <|-- classB : Inheritance
    classC *-- classD : Composition
    classE o-- classF : Aggregation
    classG <-- classH : Association
    classK <.. classL : Dependency

Example: sequence diagram

sequenceDiagram
    Client->>API: POST /orders
    API->>Database: insert order
    Database-->>API: order id
    API-->>Client: 201 Created

Tip: If the preview goes blank and a red error box appears, the syntax is incomplete — often mid-edit. Your text is never lost; fix the line and the preview returns. For full syntax reference, see the Mermaid documentation.

Zoom

Use the / + buttons to zoom the preview, or click the percentage to reset to 100%. Zoom affects only your view; it isn't saved with the diagram.

5. Versions & history

BPMN and UML diagrams share the same version model. Every save creates a new, permanently numbered version — nothing is ever overwritten.

Viewing an older version

Select any version from the history to open it in the editor. The version you're viewing is shown in the header so you always know whether you're looking at the latest state.

Reverting

Reverting to an older version does not delete anything. It copies that version's content forward as a brand new version at the top of the history, marked as a revert and recording which version it came from. The full trail stays intact and auditable, and a revert can itself be reverted.

Deleting

Deleting a diagram from the library removes it and its entire version history. This cannot be undone, and requires edit permission on the associated project.

6. Workflow automation

Automation rules attach to a BPMN diagram and fire in response to Jira issue events. A rule can:

Decision tables

For rules where one input should produce different outcomes, use a DMN-style decision table. Each row is a condition and its result. The hit policy controls what happens when more than one row matches:

Hit policyBehaviour
FirstUses the first matching row and stops.
UniqueExpects exactly one match; multiple matches are an error.
AnyAllows multiple matches as long as they agree on the outcome.

Rules act with the permissions of your Jira site, so test them on a non-critical project before enabling them broadly.

7. Permissions & collaboration

Access to a diagram follows the Jira project it belongs to. If you can edit issues in that project, you can create, edit, revert, and delete its diagrams. If you can't, the diagram opens in a read-only view with the editing controls hidden.

Working at the same time as someone else

If a teammate saves a diagram you have open, a notification appears at the top of the editor. If you have no unsaved changes, the editor refreshes to their version automatically. If you do have unsaved changes, the app will not discard them — instead you'll see a conflict warning with two choices:

Diagrams from deleted projects

If a Jira project is deleted, its diagrams remain but are marked with a warning badge and become read-only, since permissions can no longer be evaluated. Any signed-in user may delete them to clean up.

8. Troubleshooting

The Save button is greyed out

Saving requires a version name in the Save as field. For a new diagram, it also requires a diagram name that isn't already in use. If neither applies, you may not have edit permission on the project.

The UML preview shows an error

This is a Mermaid syntax error, not a saved-data problem. The error text names the line at fault. Your source text is untouched — correct the syntax and the preview re-renders.

The UML preview is blank in an older browser

Diagram rendering requires a current browser. On Safari, version 17.4 or newer is needed. Updating the browser, or switching to a recent Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, resolves it.

My changes disappeared after a teammate saved

Unsaved work is never silently overwritten — a conflict prompt always appears first. If you chose Reload remote, your unsaved edits were discarded by that choice. Any version that was actually saved is still recoverable from the diagram's history.

A diagram is missing from the library

Either it was deleted, or it belongs to a project you no longer have access to. Check with your Jira administrator.

Support

Email: felixtrihardjo@gmail.com
Response time: We aim to respond within 5 business days.