Portfolio Forecaster Going Forge!

Portfolio Forecaster helps teams forecast confidently, align with goals, and track work seamlessly within Jira, while offering flexible configurations for enhanced project planning and collaboration.

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Inspiration

At 55 Degrees, we’ve always believed in the power of teamwork and transparency. We wanted to create a solution that would help teams of all sizes better forecast their work, align around goals, and track progress with precision. The inspiration behind Portfolio Forecaster came from our mission to empower teams with the tools they need to make data-driven decisions and improve their workflows. We knew that traditional forecasting tools often lacked the flexibility and user-friendly interface teams needed to collaborate effectively. We set out to change that.

What it does

Portfolio Forecaster transforms how teams approach forecasting. By enabling users to forecast work across all issue types—from epics to bugs—teams can get a full picture of their project timelines. With features like enhanced sharing functionality, customizable configurations using JQL filters and issue links, and the ability to forecast portfolios, teams can stay aligned and track their progress with confidence. This new version enables smarter collaboration and precise planning, making forecasting accessible and intuitive for everyone.

How we built it

We built Portfolio Forecaster by deeply integrating with Jira’s powerful tools and listening closely to customer feedback. Our team worked through numerous iterations to ensure that the interface was sleek and easy to use, while maintaining the powerful capabilities that businesses need. The product was designed to meet the needs of all teams—no matter their size or complexity. We focused on usability, seamless integration with Jira Cloud, and ensuring it was customizable to fit diverse workflows. This allowed us to build a tool that truly adapts to the needs of each team and helps them forecast smarter.

One factor that greatly simplified the transition from Connect to Forge for developers was the support provided by Atlassian. Their comprehensive and clear documentation, titled ‘How to Adopt Forge from Connect,’ made the process seamless and straightforward.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges we faced was ensuring Portfolio Forecaster could scale for teams of all sizes—whether it’s a small startup or a large enterprise. We wanted to create a tool that was powerful and flexible, yet easy to use for everyone. That meant we had to design a solution that could handle complex, portfolio-level forecasting while staying simple enough for individual teams to use effectively. We also wanted to make sure the tool could work seamlessly across multiple Jira instances and accommodate various workflows. Customization was key here. To tackle this, we invested time and energy into building advanced sharing functionality and allowing users to configure forecasts using JQL filters and issue links. This required deep integration with Jira’s API, and there were moments when things didn’t go as planned—bugs, performance issues, and the ever-present challenge of making sure everything worked smoothly together.

But these obstacles became opportunities. Every issue we faced helped us refine the product, improve usability, and, in many ways, pushed us to innovate in ways we hadn’t imagined at the start. Working through these challenges with our team and customers was one of the most rewarding parts of the process. The feedback we received led to critical improvements, especially around scenario planning and portfolio tracking—features that turned out to be game-changers for users. By the end of it, we had not only overcome these hurdles but emerged with a product that we’re incredibly proud of—a tool that’s both powerful enough to meet the needs of large organizations and intuitive enough for smaller teams to get started with ease.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re incredibly proud of how Portfolio Forecaster has been received. We’ve made forecasting more flexible, transparent, and collaborative, empowering teams to align their work with greater clarity and confidence. The introduction of scenario planning and forecasting across portfolios has helped our users make smarter decisions, while the new sharing features ensure that everyone stays on the same page. We’re also excited about the feedback we’ve received from customers who have embraced the product, giving us invaluable insights into how we can continue to improve and evolve the tool.

What we learned

Building Portfolio Forecaster has been an incredibly rewarding journey. We learned how to balance the power of a complex forecasting tool with the simplicity needed for it to be accessible for all teams. We also learned how important it is to involve users at every stage, as their feedback truly shaped the features we built and prioritized. Above all, we’ve learned that flexibility and customization are key to creating a product that truly meets the needs of diverse teams.

What's next for Portfolio Forecaster Going Forge!

We’re excited about what’s on the horizon. First, we’re working to roll out Portfolio Forecaster on Forge, expanding its reach to even more users. We’re also planning to enhance scenario planning and portfolio forecasting capabilities, enabling teams to gain even deeper insights and make data-driven decisions effortlessly. Our commitment is to continue innovating while maintaining an intuitive and user-friendly experience, ensuring teams can forecast smarter than ever before. The journey is far from over!

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