name: confluence-expert description: > Atlassian Confluence expert for creating and managing spaces, knowledge bases, documentation, planning, product discovery, page layouts, macros, templates, and all Confluence features. Use for documentation strategy, space architecture, content organization, and collaborative knowledge management. license: MIT + Commons Clause metadata: version: 1.0.0 author: borghei category: project-management domain: atlassian updated: 2026-03-31 tags: [confluence, knowledge-management, wiki, documentation]
Atlassian Confluence Expert
Master-level expertise in Confluence space management, documentation architecture, content creation, macros, templates, and collaborative knowledge management.
Core Competencies
Space Architecture
- Design and create space hierarchies
- Organize knowledge by teams, projects, or topics
- Implement documentation taxonomies
- Configure space permissions and visibility
Content Creation
- Create structured pages with layouts
- Use macros for dynamic content
- Build templates for consistency
- Implement version control and change tracking
Collaboration & Governance
- Facilitate team documentation practices
- Implement review and approval workflows
- Manage content lifecycle
- Establish documentation standards
Integration & Automation
- Link Confluence with Jira
- Embed dynamic Jira reports
- Configure page watchers and notifications
- Set up content automation
Workflows
Space Creation
- Determine space type (Team, Project, Knowledge Base, Personal)
- Create space with clear name and description
- Set space homepage with overview
- Configure space permissions:
- View, Edit, Create, Delete
- Admin privileges
- Create initial page tree structure
- Add space shortcuts for navigation
- HANDOFF TO: Teams for content population
Page Architecture
Best Practices:
- Use page hierarchy (parent-child relationships)
- Maximum 3 levels deep for navigation
- Consistent naming conventions
- Date-stamp meeting notes
Recommended Structure:
Space Home
├── Overview & Getting Started
├── Team Information
│ ├── Team Members & Roles
│ ├── Communication Channels
│ └── Working Agreements
├── Projects
│ ├── Project A
│ │ ├── Overview
│ │ ├── Requirements
│ │ └── Meeting Notes
│ └── Project B
├── Processes & Workflows
├── Meeting Notes (Archive)
└── Resources & References
Template Creation
- Identify repeatable content pattern
- Create page with structure and placeholders
- Add instructions in placeholders
- Format with appropriate macros
- Save as template
- Share with space or make global
- USE: References for advanced template patterns
Documentation Strategy
- Assess current documentation state
- Define documentation goals and audience
- Organize content taxonomy and structure
- Create templates and guidelines
- Migrate existing documentation
- Train teams on best practices
- Monitor usage and adoption
- REPORT TO: Senior PM on documentation health
Knowledge Base Management
Article Types:
- How-to guides
- Troubleshooting docs
- FAQs
- Reference documentation
- Process documentation
Quality Standards:
- Clear title and description
- Structured with headings
- Updated date visible
- Owner identified
- Reviewed quarterly
Essential Macros
Content Macros
Info, Note, Warning, Tip:
{info}
Important information here
{info}
Expand:
{expand:title=Click to expand}
Hidden content here
{expand}
Table of Contents:
{toc:maxLevel=3}
Excerpt & Excerpt Include:
{excerpt}
Reusable content
{excerpt}
{excerpt-include:Page Name}
Dynamic Content
Jira Issues:
{jira:JQL=project = PROJ AND status = "In Progress"}
Jira Chart:
{jirachart:type=pie|jql=project = PROJ|statType=statuses}
Recently Updated:
{recently-updated:spaces=@all|max=10}
Content by Label:
{contentbylabel:label=meeting-notes|maxResults=20}
Collaboration Macros
Status:
{status:colour=Green|title=Approved}
Task List:
{tasks}
- [ ] Task 1
- [x] Task 2 completed
{tasks}
User Mention:
@username
Date:
{date:format=dd MMM yyyy}
Page Layouts & Formatting
Two-Column Layout:
{section}
{column:width=50%}
Left content
{column}
{column:width=50%}
Right content
{column}
{section}
Panel:
{panel:title=Panel Title|borderColor=#ccc}
Panel content
{panel}
Code Block:
{code:javascript}
const example = "code here";
{code}
Templates Library
Meeting Notes Template
**Date**: {date}
**Attendees**: @user1, @user2
**Facilitator**: @facilitator
## Agenda
1. Topic 1
2. Topic 2
## Discussion
- Key point 1
- Key point 2
## Decisions
{info}Decision 1{info}
## Action Items
{tasks}
- [ ] Action item 1 (@owner, due date)
- [ ] Action item 2 (@owner, due date)
{tasks}
## Next Steps
- Next meeting date
Project Overview Template
{panel:title=Project Quick Facts}
**Status**: {status:colour=Green|title=Active}
**Owner**: @owner
**Start Date**: DD/MM/YYYY
**End Date**: DD/MM/YYYY
**Budget**: $XXX,XXX
{panel}
## Executive Summary
Brief project description
## Objectives
1. Objective 1
2. Objective 2
## Key Stakeholders
| Name | Role | Responsibility |
|------|------|----------------|
| @user | PM | Overall delivery |
## Milestones
{jira:project=PROJ AND type=Epic}
## Risks & Issues
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|--------|-----------|
| Risk 1 | High | Action plan |
## Resources
- [Design Docs](#)
- [Technical Specs](#)
Decision Log Template
**Decision ID**: PROJ-DEC-001
**Date**: {date}
**Status**: {status:colour=Green|title=Approved}
**Decision Maker**: @decisionmaker
## Context
Background and problem statement
## Options Considered
1. Option A
- Pros:
- Cons:
2. Option B
- Pros:
- Cons:
## Decision
Chosen option and rationale
## Consequences
Expected outcomes and impacts
## Next Steps
- [ ] Action 1
- [ ] Action 2
Sprint Retrospective Template
**Sprint**: Sprint XX
**Date**: {date}
**Team**: Team Name
## What Went Well
{info}
- Positive item 1
- Positive item 2
{info}
## What Didn't Go Well
{warning}
- Challenge 1
- Challenge 2
{warning}
## Action Items
{tasks}
- [ ] Improvement 1 (@owner)
- [ ] Improvement 2 (@owner)
{tasks}
## Metrics
**Velocity**: XX points
**Completed Stories**: X/X
**Bugs Found**: X
Space Permissions
Permission Levels
- View: Read-only access
- Edit: Modify existing pages
- Create: Add new pages
- Delete: Remove pages
- Admin: Full space control
Permission Schemes
Public Space:
- All users: View
- Team members: Edit, Create
- Space admins: Admin
Team Space:
- Team members: View, Edit, Create
- Team leads: Admin
- Others: No access
Project Space:
- Stakeholders: View
- Project team: Edit, Create
- PM: Admin
Content Governance
Review Cycles:
- Critical docs: Monthly
- Standard docs: Quarterly
- Archive docs: Annually
Archiving Strategy:
- Move outdated content to Archive space
- Label with "archived" and date
- Maintain for 2 years, then delete
- Keep audit trail
Content Quality Checklist:
- Clear, descriptive title
- Owner/author identified
- Last updated date visible
- Appropriate labels applied
- Links functional
- Formatting consistent
- No sensitive data exposed
Decision Framework
When to Escalate to Atlassian Admin:
- Need org-wide template
- Require cross-space permissions
- Blueprint configuration
- Global automation rules
- Space export/import
When to Collaborate with Jira Expert:
- Embed Jira queries and charts
- Link pages to Jira issues
- Create Jira-based reports
- Sync documentation with tickets
When to Support Scrum Master:
- Sprint documentation templates
- Retrospective pages
- Team working agreements
- Process documentation
When to Support Senior PM:
- Executive report pages
- Portfolio documentation
- Stakeholder communication
- Strategic planning docs
Handoff Protocols
FROM Senior PM:
- Documentation requirements
- Space structure needs
- Template requirements
- Knowledge management strategy
TO Senior PM:
- Documentation coverage reports
- Content usage analytics
- Knowledge gaps identified
- Template adoption metrics
FROM Scrum Master:
- Sprint ceremony templates
- Team documentation needs
- Meeting notes structure
- Retrospective format
TO Scrum Master:
- Configured templates
- Space for team docs
- Training on best practices
- Documentation guidelines
WITH Jira Expert:
- Jira-Confluence linking
- Embedded Jira reports
- Issue-to-page connections
- Cross-tool workflow
Best Practices
Writing Style:
- Use active voice
- Write scannable content (headings, bullets, short paragraphs)
- Include visuals and diagrams
- Provide examples
- Keep language simple and clear
Organization:
- Consistent naming conventions
- Meaningful labels
- Logical page hierarchy
- Related pages linked
- Clear navigation
Maintenance:
- Regular content audits
- Remove duplication
- Update outdated information
- Archive obsolete content
- Monitor page analytics
Analytics & Metrics
Usage Metrics:
- Page views per space
- Most visited pages
- Search queries
- Contributor activity
- Orphaned pages
Health Indicators:
- Pages without recent updates
- Pages without owners
- Duplicate content
- Broken links
- Empty spaces
Atlassian MCP Integration
Primary Tool: Confluence MCP Server
Key Operations:
- Create and manage spaces
- Create, update, and delete pages
- Apply templates and macros
- Manage page hierarchies
- Configure permissions
- Search content
- Extract documentation for analysis
Integration Points:
- Create documentation for Senior PM projects
- Support Scrum Master with ceremony templates
- Link to Jira issues for Jira Expert
- Provide templates for Template Creator
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Users cannot find existing documentation | Poor space/page hierarchy, missing labels, or unclear page titles | Restructure to max 3 levels deep; enforce descriptive naming conventions; add labels to all pages and use contentbylabel macro for discovery |
| Confluence search returns irrelevant results | Page titles are generic, content lacks keywords, or spaces have too many orphaned pages | Use specific, descriptive titles; add excerpt macros for search snippets; audit and remove orphaned pages quarterly |
| Pages become stale with outdated information | No content ownership model, no review cadence, or no visible "last updated" date | Assign a page owner to every active page; set quarterly review reminders; add {date} macro to show last update prominently |
| Space permissions are too permissive or too restrictive | Ad-hoc permission changes without a governance model; individual permissions used instead of groups | Reset to group-based permissions; define 3-4 standard permission schemes; audit permissions quarterly |
| Jira macros embedded in pages show errors or no data | JQL references deleted projects, or the viewer lacks Jira permissions for the referenced project | Verify JQL validity; ensure Confluence viewers also have Jira browse permissions for referenced projects |
| Content duplication across multiple spaces | No single source of truth policy; teams copy content instead of linking | Implement excerpt-include pattern for shared content; establish content ownership map; use cross-space linking instead of copying |
| Page tree becomes too deep (>5 levels) creating navigation fatigue | Organic growth without architectural review; no archiving strategy | Flatten hierarchy to max 3 levels; archive completed project pages; use labels and search instead of deep nesting |
Success Criteria
- 90%+ of active pages have a designated owner and a review date within the past 6 months
- Orphaned pages (no parent, no links, no views in 90 days) represent less than 5% of total content
- New team members can find onboarding documentation within 3 clicks from the space homepage
- Content duplication rate stays below 10% (measured by duplicate title or excerpt analysis)
- All spaces follow the standardized page architecture template (overview, team info, projects, processes, resources)
- Confluence adoption measured by monthly active editors exceeds 60% of licensed users
- Knowledge base articles resolve 40%+ of common questions without escalation to a person
Scope & Limitations
In Scope: Space creation and architecture, page hierarchy design, template creation and management, content governance (review cycles, archiving, quality standards), macro usage and dynamic content, documentation strategy, knowledge base management, Jira-Confluence integration, content analytics.
Out of Scope: Global Atlassian administration (hand off to atlassian-admin/), Jira project configuration (hand off to jira-expert/), template design and governance (hand off to atlassian-templates/), sprint execution artifacts (hand off to scrum-master/).
Limitations: Confluence Cloud has storage limits per plan tier that affect attachment-heavy spaces. Advanced analytics (page view trends, contributor activity) require Confluence Premium or marketplace apps. Space-level permissions cannot override more restrictive org-wide security policies set by atlassian-admin/. Content migration between spaces can break internal links and require manual fixup.
Integration Points
| Integration | Direction | What Flows |
|---|---|---|
jira-expert/ | Bidirectional | Jira macros in Confluence pages; Confluence page links in Jira issue descriptions |
atlassian-admin/ | Admin -> Confluence | Global templates, space permission schemes, blueprint configuration |
atlassian-templates/ | Templates -> Confluence | Designed templates deployed to spaces; template usage guidelines |
scrum-master/ | SM -> Confluence | Sprint ceremony documentation needs, team working agreement pages |
senior-pm/ | PM -> Confluence | Executive report pages, portfolio documentation, stakeholder communication |
delivery-manager/ | DM -> Confluence | Post-mortem documentation, runbooks, release notes pages |