Generate Status Report

Keywords

status report, project status, weekly update, daily standup, Jira report, project summary, blockers, progress update, Confluence report, sprint report, project update, publish to Confluence, write to Confluence, post report

Automatically query Jira for project status, analyze issues, and generate formatted status reports published to Confluence.

CRITICAL: This skill should be interactive. Always clarify scope (time period, audience, Confluence destination) with the user before or after generating the report. Do not silently skip Confluence publishing—always offer it.

Workflow

Generating a status report follows these steps:

1. Identify scope - Determine project, time period, and target audience
2. Query Jira - Fetch relevant issues using JQL queries
3. Analyze data - Categorize issues and identify key insights
4. Format report - Structure content based on audience and purpose
5. Publish to Confluence - Create or update a page with the report

Step 1: Identify Scope

IMPORTANT: If the user's request is missing key information, ASK before proceeding with queries. Do not assume defaults without confirmation for Confluence publishing.

Clarify these details:

Project identification:

• Which Jira project key? (e.g., "PROJ", "ENG", "MKTG")
• If the user mentions a project by name but not key, search Jira to find the project key

Time period:

• If not specified, ask: "What time period should this report cover? (default: last 7 days)"
• Options: Weekly (7 days), Daily (24 hours), Sprint-based (2 weeks), Custom period

Target audience:

• If not specified, ask: "Who is this report for? (Executives/Delivery Managers, Team-level, or Daily standup)"
• Executives/Delivery Managers: High-level summary with key metrics and blockers
• Team-level: Detailed breakdown with issue-by-issue status
• Daily standup: Brief update on yesterday/today/blockers

Report destination:

• ALWAYS ASK if not specified: "Would you like me to publish this report to Confluence? If so, which space should I use?"
• If user says yes: Ask for space name or offer to list available spaces
• Determine: New page or update existing page?
• Ask about parent page if creating under a specific section

Step 2: Query Jira

Use the searchJiraIssuesUsingJql tool to fetch issues. Build JQL queries based on report needs.

Common Query Patterns

For comprehensive queries, use the scripts/jql_builder.py utility to programmatically build JQL strings. For quick queries, reference references/jql-patterns.md for examples.

All open issues in project:

project = "PROJECT_KEY" AND status != Done ORDER BY priority DESC, updated DESC

Issues updated in last week:

project = "PROJECT_KEY" AND updated >= -7d ORDER BY priority DESC

High priority and blocked issues:

project = "PROJECT_KEY" AND (priority IN (Highest, High) OR status = Blocked) AND status != Done ORDER BY priority DESC

Completed in reporting period:

project = "PROJECT_KEY" AND status = Done AND resolved >= -7d ORDER BY resolved DESC

Query Strategy

For most reports, execute multiple targeted queries rather than one large query:

1. Completed issues: Get recently resolved tickets
2. In-progress issues: Get active work items
3. Blocked issues: Get blockers requiring attention
4. High priority open: Get critical upcoming work

Use maxResults: 100 for initial queries. If pagination is needed, use nextPageToken from results.

Data to Extract

For each issue, capture:

• key (e.g., "PROJ-123")
• summary (issue title)
• status (current state)
• priority (importance level)
• assignee (who's working on it)
• created / updated / resolved dates
• description (if needed for context on blockers)

Step 3: Analyze Data

Process the retrieved issues to identify:

Metrics:

• Total issues by status (Done, In Progress, Blocked, etc.)
• Completion rate (if historical data available)
• Number of high priority items
• Unassigned issue count

Key insights:

• Major accomplishments (recently completed high-value items)
• Critical blockers (blocked high priority issues)
• At-risk items (overdue or stuck in progress)
• Resource bottlenecks (one assignee with many issues)

Categorization: Group issues logically:

• By status (Done, In Progress, Blocked)
• By priority (Highest → Low)
• By assignee or team
• By component or epic (if relevant)

Step 4: Format Report

Select the appropriate template based on audience. Templates are in references/report-templates.md.

For Executives and Delivery Managers

Use Executive Summary Format:

• Brief overall status (🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Blocked)
• Key metrics (total, completed, in progress, blocked)
• Top 3 highlights (major accomplishments)
• Critical blockers with impact
• Upcoming priorities

Keep it concise - 1-2 pages maximum. Focus on what matters to decision-makers.

For Team-Level Reports

Use Detailed Technical Format:

• Completed issues listed with keys
• In-progress issues with assignee and priority
• Blocked issues with blocker description and action needed
• Risks and dependencies
• Next period priorities

Include more detail - Team needs issue-level visibility.

For Daily Updates

Use Daily Standup Format:

• What was completed yesterday
• What's planned for today
• Current blockers
• Brief notes

Keep it brief - This is a quick sync, not comprehensive analysis.

Step 5: Publish to Confluence

After generating the report, ALWAYS offer to publish to Confluence (unless user explicitly said not to).

If user hasn't specified Confluence details yet, ask:

• "Would you like me to publish this report to Confluence?"
• "Which Confluence space should I use?"
• "Should this be nested under a specific parent page?"

Use the createConfluenceContent tool to publish the report.

Before authoring the body, load the authoring guidance. getContentFormatGuide is not a primary tool, so run it through execute (see Calling non-primary tools). Note that toolName takes the content key createConfluencePage, not the name of the tool you are about to call:

executeRead(   # or execute(...) if your client exposes a single execute tool
    name="getContentFormatGuide",
    inputs={"toolName": "createConfluencePage"}
)

Never skip the body because the guidance failed to load — load it first, then build a real body.

Then load the space instructions. Spaces can carry durable authoring guidance that is authoritative and overrides authoring defaults on conflict. Apply this decision rule:

1. Skip this step only if a getConfluenceContent call for content in the target space returned metadata.hasSpaceInstructions=false.
2. Otherwise — true or unknown — call getConfluenceSpace once before authoring:

executeRead(   # or execute(...) if your client exposes a single execute tool
    name="getConfluenceSpace",
    cloudId="...",
    inputs={"spaceIdOrKey": "[space ID or key]"}
)

3. Apply any returned spaceInstructions. If a successful response omits them, no instructions are configured — author with defaults and do not block.

Reuse the result for the rest of the task: do not call getConfluenceSpace again for the same space, and do not follow it with a separate getConfluenceSpaceInstructions call.

Page creation:

createConfluenceContent(
    cloudId="[obtained from listConfluenceSpaces or URL]",
    parent={"spaceId": "[numerical space ID]"},
    contentType="page",
    title="[Project Name] - Status Report - [Date]",
    body={"format": "markdown", "value": "[formatted report]"}
)

To nest the report under an existing page, add parentContentId to parent:

    parent={"spaceId": "[numerical space ID]", "parentContentId": "[parent page ID]"},

Title format examples:

• "Project Phoenix - Weekly Status - Dec 3, 2025"
• "Engineering Sprint 23 - Status Report"
• "Q4 Initiatives - Status Update - Week 49"

Body formatting: Write the report content in Markdown and pass it as body={"format": "markdown", "value": ...}, following the spec returned by getContentFormatGuide. Use:

• Headers (#, ##, ###) for structure
• Bullet points for lists
• Bold (**text**) for emphasis
• Tables for metrics if needed
• Links to Jira issues: [PROJ-123](https://yourinstance.atlassian.net/browse/PROJ-123)

Best practices:

• Include the report date prominently
• Link directly to relevant Jira issues
• Use consistent naming conventions for recurring reports
• Consider creating under a "Status Reports" parent page for organization

Finding the Right Space

If the user doesn't specify a Confluence space:

1. Use listConfluenceSpaces to list available spaces. This is not a primary tool, so run it through execute: executeRead(name="listConfluenceSpaces", cloudId="...")
2. Look for spaces related to the project (matching project name or key)
3. If unsure, ask the user which space to use
4. Default to creating in the most relevant team or project space

Updating Existing Reports

If updating an existing page instead of creating new:

1. Get the current page content. detail="full" returns the body (the default summary returns only a title, excerpt, and counts), and the doc-type response carries the snapshotToken you must pass back on the update, plus metadata.hasSpaceInstructions for step 3:

getConfluenceContent(
    cloudId="...",
    content_id="123456",
    content_format="markdown",
    detail="full",
    include_metadata=True
)

2. Load the authoring guidance for the edit (toolName is the content key, not the tool you call):

executeRead(   # or execute(...) if your client exposes a single execute tool
    name="getContentFormatGuide",
    inputs={"toolName": "updateConfluencePage"}
)

3. Load the space instructions unless step 1 returned metadata.hasSpaceInstructions=false. Reuse the result if you already loaded it for this space during this task:

executeRead(   # or execute(...) if your client exposes a single execute tool
    name="getConfluenceSpace",
    cloudId="...",
    inputs={"spaceIdOrKey": "[space ID or key]"}
)

4. Update the page with new content. snapshotToken is required for document edits — pass the value from the step 1 response. Omitting it will fail the update:

updateConfluenceContent(
    cloudId="...",
    contentId="123456",
    snapshotToken="[snapshotToken from the step 1 response]",
    body={"format": "markdown", "value": "[updated report content]"},
    versionMessage="Updated with latest status - Dec 8, 2025"
)

Concurrency note: the snapshotToken ties your edit to the version you read. Do not reuse a stale token across edits — re-read the content with getConfluenceContent before each update.

Complete Example Workflow

User request: "Generate a status report for Project Phoenix and publish it to Confluence"

Step 1 - Identify scope:

• Project: Phoenix (need to find project key)
• Time period: Last week (default)
• Audience: Not specified, assume executive level
• Destination: Confluence, need to find appropriate space

Step 2 - Query Jira:

# Find project key first
searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
    cloudId="...",
    jql='project = "PHOENIX" OR project = "PHX"',
    maxResults=1
)

# Query completed issues
searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
    cloudId="...",
    jql='project = "PHX" AND status = Done AND resolved >= -7d',
    maxResults=50
)

# Query blocked issues
searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
    cloudId="...",
    jql='project = "PHX" AND status = Blocked',
    maxResults=50
)

# Query in-progress high priority
searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
    cloudId="...",
    jql='project = "PHX" AND status IN ("In Progress", "In Review") AND priority IN (Highest, High)',
    maxResults=50
)

Step 3 - Analyze:

• 15 issues completed (metrics)
• 3 critical blockers (key insight)
• Major accomplishment: API integration completed (highlight)

Step 4 - Format: Use Executive Summary Format from templates. Create concise report with metrics, highlights, and blockers.

Step 5 - Publish:

# Find appropriate space (not a primary tool - run it through execute)
executeRead(name="listConfluenceSpaces", cloudId="...")

# Load authoring guidance before composing the body
executeRead(name="getContentFormatGuide", inputs={"toolName": "createConfluencePage"})

# Load space instructions (skip only if hasSpaceInstructions was false for this space)
executeRead(name="getConfluenceSpace", cloudId="...", inputs={"spaceIdOrKey": "PHX"})

# Create page
createConfluenceContent(
    cloudId="...",
    parent={"spaceId": "12345"},
    contentType="page",
    title="Project Phoenix - Weekly Status - Dec 3, 2025",
    body={"format": "markdown", "value": "[formatted markdown report]"}
)

Tips for Quality Reports

Be data-driven:

• Include specific numbers and metrics
• Reference issue keys directly
• Show trends when possible (e.g., "completed 15 vs 12 last week")

Highlight what matters:

• Lead with the most important information
• Flag blockers prominently
• Celebrate significant wins

Make it actionable:

• For blockers, state what action is needed and from whom
• For risks, provide mitigation options
• For priorities, be specific about next steps

Keep it consistent:

• Use the same format for recurring reports
• Maintain predictable structure
• Include comparable metrics week-over-week

Provide context:

• Link to Jira for details
• Explain the impact of blockers
• Connect work to business objectives when possible

Resources

scripts/jql_builder.py

Python utility for programmatically building JQL queries. Use this when you need to construct complex or dynamic queries. Import and use the helper functions rather than manually concatenating JQL strings.

references/jql-patterns.md

Quick reference of common JQL query patterns for status reports. Use this for standard queries or as a starting point for custom queries.

references/report-templates.md

Detailed templates for different report types and audiences. Reference this to select the appropriate format and structure for your report.

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Calling non-primary tools

The Atlassian Rovo MCP server exposes only a small set of primary tools directly in your tool list. Everything else lives in the catalog and is reached through meta-tools:

• discover — describe the goal in natural language when you do not know an operation's name. It returns the exact name and inputs to use. Do not call discover for an operation you already have as a primary tool.
• An execute-family tool — run a catalog operation by name. Check your tool list: some clients expose a single execute, others expose executeRead / executeWrite / executeDestructive and expect the tier matching the operation. The arguments are identical:

executeRead(   # or execute(...) if your client exposes a single execute tool
  name="<operationName>",
  cloudId="...",
  inputs={"param": "value"}
)

Rules that matter:

• cloudId is a top-level argument, a sibling of name and inputs — never put it inside inputs. Operations declared omitCloudId (such as getContentFormatGuide) take no cloudId.
• inputs is a flat object. The server routes each parameter to path, query, or body itself.
• Use the exact parameter names from the live tool schema. Unrecognized parameters are dropped rather than reported as an error, so a wrong name fails silently — the call succeeds and your value is simply ignored. When in doubt, read the schema or discover result first.
• If the call reports an unknown operation, run discover with different keywords and use the name it returns rather than guessing.