Confluence
Confluence is Atlassian’s workspace for team knowledge and documentation. Spaces, pages, and macros let you create wikis, runbooks, project docs, and meeting notes in one place. It ties into Jira, so product and engineering teams often use it for specs, ADRs, and process docs. This guide focuses on what makes Confluence effective: structuring spaces and pages, collaborating without chaos, and when to use it vs. other doc tools.
Getting Started in Confluence
Why confluence fits product work
Core concepts that matter
Spaces and pages
Spaces are top‑level containers (e.g. “Product”, “Engineering”, “Support”). Each space has its own permissions and hierarchy. Use spaces for teams, products, or large initiatives.
Pages live inside spaces. They can have child pages, so you get a tree: e.g. “Product / Specs / Checkout v2” or “Engineering / Runbooks / Deploy.” Use the tree to group related docs and make navigation predictable.
Best practice: Start with a few spaces (e.g. by team or product). Add subpages as projects and specs grow. Avoid a deep maze-three levels is usually enough before things get lost.
Creating and editing
Editor - Confluence uses a block‑style editor: type, add headings, lists, tables, and insert macros. Slash (“/”) brings up insert options. Formatting is similar to Notion or Google Docs.
Macros - Add Jira issues, status panels, diagrams (e.g. draw.io), expand sections, and more. Use “/” and search for the macro name. Jira macros are especially useful for “list of issues” or “board embed” inside a doc.
Templates - Create from a template (Meeting notes, PRD, etc.) so structure is consistent. Customize templates per space if your team has specific formats.
Team collaboration in Confluence
Collaboration and permissions
Collaboration - Multiple people can edit the same page. Comments attach to a paragraph or the page. Use @mention to notify someone. Resolve comments when feedback is addressed.
Permissions - Spaces have default permissions (who can view, who can edit). Override at the page level when needed (e.g. restrict a confidential spec to a small group). Prefer space‑level rules and override only when necessary.
Change history - Confluence keeps version history. Restore an old version or compare versions when you need to see what changed or undo a mistake.
Jira and integrations
Jira links and embeds - Link to issues with JRA or type the issue key and use autocomplete. Embed a Jira filter or board so the page shows live issue list or sprint status. Use this for “current backlog,” “release checklist,” or “bugs for this epic.”
Other integrations - Trello, GitHub, and others exist. Jira is the main one for product/engineering; use others if they’re part of your stack.
Practical habits
When confluence isn’t the fit
Pricing (high level)
Free - Up to 10 users, unlimited spaces and pages. Enough for small teams or trying it out.
Standard - More users, audit log, and better support. Premium - Advanced analytics, sandbox, and automation. Enterprise - Scale, compliance, and locked-in pricing. Confluence is also bundled in Jira Software and Jira Service Management plans. Check Atlassian’s pricing for current details.
For product and engineering teams on Jira, Confluence is a strong default for specs, ADRs, runbooks, and meeting notes. Structure with spaces and pages, use Jira macros for live context, and keep names and templates consistent so the knowledge base stays usable.
