---
name: "managing-confluence"
description: Atlassian Confluence expert for creating and managing spaces, knowledge bases, and documentation. Configures space permissions and hierarchies, creates page templates with macros, sets up documentation taxonomies, designs page layouts, and manages content governance. Use when users need to build or restructure a Confluence space, design page hierarchies with permission structures, author or standardise documentation templates, embed Jira reports in pages, run knowledge base audits, or establish documentation standards and collaborative workflows.
owner: RStack developed by Richardson Gunde
---

# Atlassian Confluence Expert

Master-level expertise in Confluence space management, documentation architecture, content creation, macros, templates, and collaborative knowledge management.

## Atlassian MCP Integration

**Primary Tool**: Confluence MCP Server

**Key Operations**:

```
// Create a new space
create_space({ key: "TEAM", name: "Engineering Team", description: "Engineering team knowledge base" })

// Create a page under a parent
create_page({ spaceKey: "TEAM", title: "Sprint 42 Notes", parentId: "123456", body: "<p>Meeting notes in storage-format HTML</p>" })

// Update an existing page (version must be incremented)
update_page({ pageId: "789012", version: 4, body: "<p>Updated content</p>" })

// Delete a page
delete_page({ pageId: "789012" })

// Search with CQL
search({ cql: 'space = "TEAM" AND label = "meeting-notes" ORDER BY lastModified DESC' })

// Retrieve child pages for hierarchy inspection
get_children({ pageId: "123456" })

// Apply a label to a page
add_label({ pageId: "789012", label: "archived" })
```

**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

> **See also**: `MACROS.md` for macro syntax reference, `TEMPLATES.md` for full template library, `PERMISSIONS.md` for permission scheme details.

## Workflows

### Space Creation
1. Determine space type (Team, Project, Knowledge Base, Personal)
2. Create space with clear name and description
3. Set space homepage with overview
4. Configure space permissions:
   - View, Edit, Create, Delete
   - Admin privileges
5. Create initial page tree structure
6. Add space shortcuts for navigation
7. **Verify**: Navigate to the space URL and confirm the homepage loads; check that a non-admin test user sees the correct permission level
8. **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
1. Identify repeatable content pattern
2. Create page with structure and placeholders
3. Add instructions in placeholders
4. Format with appropriate macros
5. Save as template
6. Share with space or make global
7. **Verify**: Create a test page from the template and confirm all placeholders render correctly before sharing with the team
8. **USE**: References for advanced template patterns

### Documentation Strategy
1. **Assess** current documentation state
2. **Define** documentation goals and audience
3. **Organize** content taxonomy and structure
4. **Create** templates and guidelines
5. **Migrate** existing documentation
6. **Train** teams on best practices
7. **Monitor** usage and adoption
8. **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

> Full macro reference with all parameters: see `MACROS.md`.

### 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

> Full template library with complete markup: see `TEMPLATES.md`. Key templates summarised below.

| Template | Purpose | Key Sections |
|----------|---------|--------------|
| **Meeting Notes** | Sprint/team meetings | Agenda, Discussion, Decisions, Action Items (tasks macro) |
| **Project Overview** | Project kickoff & status | Quick Facts panel, Objectives, Stakeholders table, Milestones (Jira macro), Risks |
| **Decision Log** | Architectural/strategic decisions | Context, Options Considered, Decision, Consequences, Next Steps |
| **Sprint Retrospective** | Agile ceremony docs | What Went Well (info), What Didn't (warning), Action Items (tasks), Metrics |

## Space Permissions

> Full permission scheme details: see `PERMISSIONS.md`.

### 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

**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

## Related Skills

- **Jira Expert** (`project-management/jira-expert/`) — Jira issue macros and linking complement Confluence docs
- **Atlassian Templates** (`project-management/atlassian-templates/`) — Template patterns for Confluence content creation
