spec-to-backlog

Spec to Backlog

Overview

Transform Confluence specification documents into structured Jira backlogs automatically. This skill reads requirement documents from Confluence, intelligently breaks them down into logical implementation tasks, creates an Epic first to organize the work, then generates individual Jira tickets linked to that Epic—eliminating tedious manual copy-pasting.

Core Workflow

CRITICAL: Always follow this exact sequence:

1. Fetch Confluence Page → Get the specification content
2. Ask for Project Key → Identify target Jira project
3. Analyze Specification → Break down into logical tasks (internally, don't create yet)
4. Present Breakdown → Show user the planned Epic and tickets
5. Create Epic FIRST → Establish parent Epic and capture its key
6. Create Child Tickets → Generate tickets linked to the Epic
7. Provide Summary → Present all created items with links

Why Epic must be created first: Child tickets need the Epic key to link properly during creation. Creating tickets first will result in orphaned tickets.

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Step 1: Fetch Confluence Page

When triggered, obtain the Confluence page content:

If user provides a Confluence URL:

Extract the cloud ID and page ID from the URL pattern:

• Standard format: https://[site].atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/[SPACE]/pages/[PAGE_ID]/[title]
• The cloud ID can be extracted from [site].atlassian.net or by calling getAccessibleAtlassianResources
• The page ID is the numeric value in the URL path

If user provides only a page title or description:

Use the search tool to find the page:

search(
  cloudId="...",
  query="type=page AND title~'[search terms]'"
)

If multiple pages match, ask the user to clarify which one to use.

Fetch the page:

Call getConfluencePage with the cloudId and pageId:

getConfluencePage(
  cloudId="...",
  pageId="123456",
  contentFormat="markdown"
)

This returns the page content in Markdown format, which you'll analyze in Step 3.

---

Step 2: Ask for Project Key

Before analyzing the spec, determine the target Jira project:

Ask the user:

"Which Jira project should I create these tickets in? Please provide the project key (e.g., PROJ, ENG, PRODUCT)."

If user is unsure:

Call getVisibleJiraProjects to show available projects:

getVisibleJiraProjects(
  cloudId="...",
  action="create"
)

Present the list: "I found these projects you can create issues in: PROJ (Project Alpha), ENG (Engineering), PRODUCT (Product Team)."

Once you have the project key:

Call getJiraProjectIssueTypesMetadata to understand what issue types are available:

getJiraProjectIssueTypesMetadata(
  cloudId="...",
  projectIdOrKey="PROJ"
)

Identify available issue types:

• Which issue type is "Epic" (or similar parent type like "Initiative")
• What child issue types are available: "Story", "Task", "Bug", "Sub-task", etc.

Select appropriate issue types for child tickets:

The skill should intelligently choose issue types based on the specification content:

Use "Bug" when the spec describes:

• Fixing existing problems or defects
• Resolving errors or incorrect behavior
• Addressing performance issues
• Correcting data inconsistencies
• Keywords: "fix", "resolve", "bug", "issue", "problem", "error", "broken"

Use "Story" when the spec describes:

• New user-facing features or functionality
• User experience improvements
• Customer-requested capabilities
• Product enhancements
• Keywords: "feature", "user can", "add ability to", "new", "enable users"

Use "Task" when the spec describes:

• Technical work without direct user impact
• Infrastructure or DevOps work
• Refactoring or optimization
• Documentation or tooling
• Configuration or setup
• Keywords: "implement", "setup", "configure", "optimize", "refactor", "infrastructure"

Fallback logic:

1. If "Story" is available and content suggests new features → use "Story"
2. If "Bug" is available and content suggests fixes → use "Bug"
3. If "Task" is available → use "Task" for technical work
4. If none of the above are available → use the first available non-Epic, non-Subtask issue type

Store the selected issue types for use in Step 6:

• Epic issue type name (e.g., "Epic")
• Default child issue type (e.g., "Story" or "Task")
• Bug issue type name if available (e.g., "Bug")

---

Step 3: Analyze Specification

Read the Confluence page content and internally decompose it into:

Epic-Level Goal

What is the overall objective or feature being implemented? This becomes your Epic.

Example Epic summaries:

• "User Authentication System"
• "Payment Gateway Integration"
• "Dashboard Performance Optimization"
• "Mobile App Notifications Feature"

Implementation Tasks

Break the work into logical, independently implementable tasks.

Breakdown principles:

• Size: 3-10 tasks per spec typically (avoid over-granularity)
• Clarity: Each task should be specific and actionable
• Independence: Tasks can be worked on separately when possible
• Completeness: Include backend, frontend, testing, documentation, infrastructure as needed
• Grouping: Related functionality stays in the same ticket

Consider these dimensions:

• Technical layers: Backend API, Frontend UI, Database, Infrastructure
• Work types: Implementation, Testing, Documentation, Deployment
• Features: Break complex features into sub-features
• Dependencies: Identify prerequisite work

Common task patterns:

• "Design [component] database schema"
• "Implement [feature] API endpoints"
• "Build [component] UI components"
• "Add [integration] to existing [system]"
• "Write tests for [feature]"
• "Update documentation for [feature]"

Use action verbs:

• Implement, Create, Build, Add, Design, Integrate, Update, Fix, Optimize, Configure, Deploy, Test, Document

---

Step 4: Present Breakdown to User

Before creating anything, show the user your planned breakdown:

Format:

I've analyzed the spec and here's the backlog I'll create:

**Epic:** [Epic Summary]
[Brief description of epic scope]

**Implementation Tickets (7):**
1. [Story] [Task 1 Summary]
2. [Task] [Task 2 Summary]  
3. [Story] [Task 3 Summary]
4. [Bug] [Task 4 Summary]
5. [Task] [Task 5 Summary]
6. [Story] [Task 6 Summary]
7. [Task] [Task 7 Summary]

Shall I create these tickets in [PROJECT KEY]?

The issue type labels show what type each ticket will be created as:

• [Story] - New user-facing feature
• [Task] - Technical implementation work
• [Bug] - Fix or resolve an issue

Wait for user confirmation before proceeding. This allows them to:

• Request changes to the breakdown
• Confirm the scope is correct
• Adjust the number or focus of tickets

If user requests changes, adjust the breakdown and re-present.

---

Step 5: Create Epic FIRST

CRITICAL: The Epic must be created before any child tickets.

Create the Epic:

Call createJiraIssue with:

createJiraIssue(
  cloudId="...",
  projectKey="PROJ",
  issueTypeName="Epic",
  summary="[Epic Summary from Step 3]",
  description="[Epic Description - see below]"
)

Epic Description Structure:

## Overview
[1-2 sentence summary of what this epic delivers]

## Source
Confluence Spec: [Link to Confluence page]

## Objectives
- [Key objective 1]
- [Key objective 2]
- [Key objective 3]

## Scope
[Brief description of what's included and what's not]

## Success Criteria
- [Measurable criterion 1]
- [Measurable criterion 2]
- [Measurable criterion 3]

## Technical Notes
[Any important technical context from the spec]

Capture the Epic Key:

The response will include the Epic's key (e.g., "PROJ-123"). Save this key—you'll need it for every child ticket.

Example response:

{
  "key": "PROJ-123",
  "id": "10001",
  "self": "https://yoursite.atlassian.net/rest/api/3/issue/10001"
}

Confirm Epic creation to user: "✅ Created Epic: PROJ-123 - User Authentication System"

---

Step 6: Create Child Tickets

Now create each implementation task as a child ticket linked to the Epic.

For each task:

Determine the appropriate issue type for this specific task:

• If the task involves fixing/resolving an issue → use "Bug" (if available)
• If the task involves new user-facing features → use "Story" (if available)
• If the task involves technical/infrastructure work → use "Task" (if available)
• Otherwise → use the default child issue type from Step 2

Call createJiraIssue with:

createJiraIssue(
  cloudId="...",
  projectKey="PROJ",
  issueTypeName="[Story/Task/Bug based on task content]",
  summary="[Task Summary]",
  description="[Task Description - see below]",
  parent="PROJ-123"  # The Epic key from Step 5
)

Example issue type selection:

• "Fix authentication timeout bug" → Use "Bug"
• "Build user dashboard UI" → Use "Story"
• "Configure CI/CD pipeline" → Use "Task"
• "Implement password reset API" → Use "Story" (new user feature)

Task Summary Format:

Use action verbs and be specific:

• ✅ "Implement user registration API endpoint"
• ✅ "Design authentication database schema"
• ✅ "Build login form UI components"
• ❌ "Do backend work" (too vague)
• ❌ "Frontend" (not actionable)

Task Description Structure:

## Context
[Brief context for this task from the Confluence spec]

## Requirements
- [Requirement 1]
- [Requirement 2]
- [Requirement 3]

## Technical Details
[Specific technical information relevant to this task]
- Technologies: [e.g., Node.js, React, PostgreSQL]
- Components: [e.g., API routes, database tables, UI components]
- Dependencies: [e.g., requires PROJ-124 to be completed first]

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] [Testable criterion 1]
- [ ] [Testable criterion 2]
- [ ] [Testable criterion 3]

## Related
- Confluence Spec: [Link to relevant section if possible]
- Epic: PROJ-123

Acceptance Criteria Best Practices:

Make them **tes

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