For a PI or quarterly planning page in Confluence you have three ways to show the dependencies between teams: Jira work items macros with link JQL (any Jira plan, but a list, not a picture), an embedded Jira plan whose dependencies report or program board shows the links (Jira Premium and Enterprise only, and every viewer needs plan permissions), or a dependency graph macro that draws the link chains for a JQL scope on the page itself. Which one fits depends on your Jira edition and on whether the room needs to see chains or just a list.
Checked 5 Nov 2026: Atlassian Support's "Share and embed your plan in Atlassian apps" and "View and manage dependencies in your plans" (read 5 Nov 2026), "JQL fields" and "JQL functions" (read 31 Oct 2026) and "Display Jira work items in a list" (read 14 Oct 2026). The LinkLens details come from our own product docs. We have not run a planning event for this article; the JQL is quoted from Atlassian's pages.
The three options side by side
| Option | Jira edition | What the page shows | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jira work items macro + link JQL | Any | A table of work items that have a "blocks" or "is blocked by" link | No picture of the chain; JQL cannot say which project or team the other end belongs to |
| Embedded Jira plan | Premium and Enterprise | The plan view you saved; plans have a timeline, a dependencies report ("a map layout") and a program board | Viewers need Jira access, plan permission, the "Plans viewer" global permission and access to the plan's spaces and boards |
| Dependency graph macro (LinkLens for Confluence, which we make) | Any Jira Cloud site with the app | Every link chain in a JQL scope, cross-scope blockers as dimmed cards, loops listed | One link type per macro, 2,000 work items per scope, one hop outside the scope |
Option 1: Jira work items macros with link JQL
Add one Jira work items macro per question (type /jira while editing, switch to JQL):
- What the planning increment is waiting on:
project in (ABC, XYZ) AND workItemLinkType = "is blocked by" AND statusCategory != Done - What holds other work up:
project in (ABC, XYZ) AND workItemLinkType = blocks AND statusCategory != Done - The blockers of one key feature:
work item in linkedWorkItems(ABC-123, "is blocked by")
Atlassian's JQL fields page lists no supported functions for the link fields, so a query cannot say "blocked by anything in team XYZ's project"; you name keys or add one linkedWorkItems() macro per item. It works for a short list, and it runs on any Jira plan. For the details see work items blocked by another project.
Option 2: Embed the Jira plan (Premium and Enterprise)
If your site has Jira Premium or Enterprise, the plan already holds the dependencies: Atlassian lists a timeline display, a dependencies report that "shows dependencies in a map layout" and a program board. To put the plan on the page, Atlassian's steps are: save your view changes, select Share then Copy link, paste the link into the Confluence page, choose the Embed view and drag it to full width. Only certain views can be embedded.
The catch for a planning page that many people open: each viewer needs access to the Jira site, permission on that plan, the Plans viewer global permission and permission to view the spaces and boards in the plan. Anyone missing one of these sees no plan.
Option 3: A dependency graph on the page
LinkLens for Confluence, which we make, is a macro that draws Jira link chains on the page. For a planning page:
- Set the scope to the teams in the increment, for example
project in (ABC, XYZ) AND fixVersion = "PI 4"(any JQL works;ORDER BYis ignored). - Pick the link type (Blocks is the default; both directions are included) and turn on Hide Done issues so only live blockers remain.
- Add a second macro on the same page for another link type, or one per team, if the room wants them apart.
The header counts the work items in scope, how many are in chains, the links and the linked items outside the scope, which appear as dimmed cards. Loops are listed under the graph. The PNG button exports the whole graph at double resolution for slides or the planning deck; Confluence PDF and Word exports do not include the live graph. It reads Jira as the person viewing the page, so viewers without Jira access see a "No access to Jira" message.
Limits from our docs: one link type per macro, up to 2,000 work items per scope, and links are followed one hop outside the scope. Setup is in the getting-started guide and the app is on the Atlassian Marketplace.
Related reading: release blockers on a Confluence page, a Jira dependency map on a Confluence page and sprint blockers.
FAQ
Do I need Jira Premium for a program board?
The program board and the dependencies report are part of the advanced planning features that Atlassian says are only available in Jira Cloud Premium and Enterprise. On Standard, use JQL macros or an app.
Can the dependencies go into the PI planning slides?
From an embedded plan, take a screenshot. From LinkLens, the PNG button renders the whole graph with a footer naming the graph and the arrow rule.
Will a Confluence PDF export include the graph?
No. Confluence PDF and Word exports do not include the live LinkLens graph; export the PNG and add it to the page as an image if you need it in the PDF.
Sources
- Share and embed your plan in Atlassian apps, Atlassian Support - Premium and Enterprise only, embed steps, viewer permissions, only certain views embed. Read 5 Nov 2026.
- View and manage dependencies in your plans, Atlassian Support - timeline display, dependencies report in a map layout, program board. Read 5 Nov 2026.
- JQL fields, Atlassian Support - Work item link type, "Supported functions: None". Read 31 Oct 2026.
- JQL functions, Atlassian Support - linkedWorkItems() with one key. Read 31 Oct 2026.
- Display Jira work items in a list, Atlassian Support - the Confluence macro with JQL. Read 14 Oct 2026.
Originally published on the Mortise Apps blog.
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