Progress that shows, plans that scale.

TL;DR

Too many agile teams set clear PI objectives during Program Increment (PI) planning, only to see them fade into the background as delivery begins. Based on our conversations with program managers, release train engineers, and product owners, this post explores why objectives drift, the hidden cost of losing visibility, and how keeping team PI objectives in Jira with Easy Agile Programs creates alignment from planning through delivery. You’ll learn how to link Jira issues to objectives, measure PI objectives effectively, and keep your Jira Program Board a living source of truth.

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Over the past few months, we’ve spoken with program managers, release train engineers, product owners, and developers about one deceptively simple question: what makes team objectives actually stick? These conversations gave us an unfiltered look at the common pitfalls, the quiet wins, and the practical fixes that make objectives matter beyond the PI planning room.

Why share this? Because too many teams start a Program Increment with clear, energising PI objectives (whether they’re team PI objectives or uncommitted objectives), only to watch them fade from view as the work begins. That loss of visibility has a cost: misaligned priorities, delayed risk detection, and value left on the table.

One Release Train Engineer summed it up perfectly: “The minute those slides are closed, you’re relying on memory. That’s when teams lose the thread.” 

Without visible objectives in Jira, the tool teams use every day, the bigger picture starts to blur. Swim lanes drift, dependencies go unnoticed, and progress becomes something you “feel” rather than something you can see.

In this post, we’ll share what our conversations revealed about why PI objectives drift and how keeping them visible inside Jira transforms the way teams deliver. If you’ve ever finished a quarter wondering where the original goals went, this will help you keep them front and centre - from planning through to shipped value.

Why Agile Program Objectives Drift After PI Planning (and How Jira Can Fix It)

In our customer interviews, one message came through loud and clear: the hardest part isn’t setting PI objectives, it’s keeping them alive once delivery starts. 

The first few sprints often run smoothly, but as one program manager described:

“About a month in, swim lanes have drifted, and people start making decisions in isolation. Not because they don’t care, but because they can’t see the bigger picture anymore.”

When PI planning objectives sit outside the system teams use every day, they fade into the background. Leaders end up relying on subjective progress reports in meetings rather than real-time data. 

As one product owner admitted: “We used to go into steering committee meetings saying ‘we think we’re fine’ because we didn’t have the numbers in front of us.”

The problem is that drift rarely shows up in burndown charts until late, when there’s little time left to correct course. By embedding PI objectives directly into Jira Program Board, teams can spot slippage early enough to adjust priorities or resources, without cutting scope or burning weekends.

The Hidden Cost of Invisible Objectives

Invisibility comes with a price. What looks like a small misalignment in week three can compound into missed delivery dates, reduced trust, and expensive rework by the end of the Increment. 

An engineering manager told us:

“The team had been working flat out, but half of it wasn’t on the most important thing. That’s not a work ethic problem, that’s a visibility problem.”

In contrast, organisations that keep agile program objectives in Jira updated throughout the PI report sharper decision-making and more predictable outcomes. 

“If an objective was lagging, we could see it in week two, reallocate, and still hit the deadline,” said one customer. 

That kind of agility isn’t luck - it’s the result of having a clear, real-time view of where each goal stands and being able to measure PI objectives effectively during delivery.

A North Star in the Jira Program Board

Easy Agile Programs adds an Objectives layer directly to the Jira Program Board. It’s a natural extension of the workspace, not an external dashboard that risks becoming outdated. Program Managers, Release Train Engineers, and Product Owners can create team-level goals in seconds, right alongside sprints and stories.

For customers, this changes the culture around objectives. “When objectives are in Jira, they’re part of the language of the team,” one program manager said. “They’re visible in the same space we do our actual work.” 

Another told us:

“I can have a 30-second look before an exec call and know exactly which goals are healthy and which need attention.”

Three Practical Steps to Make PI Objectives Stick in Jira

1. Write team-level PI objectives in plain language

Avoid jargon and write goals anyone can repeat. “If the CFO can’t explain the objective back to you, it’s too complex,” said one lead. Keep it to two to four objectives per team to maintain focus.

2. Score by business value, not just effort

Scoring keeps priority calls grounded in facts, not opinions. “When a new request pops up, we can show how it ranks against existing priorities,” a product owner explained. Business value scoring in Jira makes trade-offs clear and supports SAFe objectives by aligning work to highest value outcomes.

3. Link every Jira issue to an objective

This creates a visible goal flag on the ticket, reinforcing context for developers. “When they see the flag, they instantly know why it matters,” one engineering lead told us. That simple link turns everyday work into visible progress toward shared outcomes, and supports better dependency management when objectives cross teams.

Turning Jira into a Real-Time PI Objectives Tracker

Progress tracking in Easy Agile Programs for Jira isn’t a quarterly exercise - it’s continuous. The Objectives View blends story points completed, dependency status, and value-to-effort ratios into a live dashboard.

One program manager shared how this shifted leadership updates:

“Before, steering committee was 20 minutes of figuring out if we were in trouble. Now we walk in, show the view, and talk about solutions instead.”

Teams use it in different ways:

• Daily stand-ups: filter by objective to surface blockers tied to business goals.
  
  
• Backlog refinement: see value scores alongside story points to guide trade-offs.
  
  
• Sprint reviews: replace ticket lists with progress bars that tell a value story.
  
  
• Retrospectives: compare delivered impact with forecast value to refine scoring.

Your turn: Turn Objectives into Outcomes Everyone Can See

Across our customer conversations, one theme stands out: when PI objectives are visible inside Jira, they stop being a one-time planning exercise and become a continuous guide for decision-making. Teams know where they stand, leaders know where to focus, and everyone can connect the work in progress to the outcomes that matter most.

Keeping objectives in Jira means you’re not managing from memory or chasing updates through multiple tools. You’re working from a single source of truth that’s already embedded in your team’s day-to-day. That visibility creates alignment without extra meetings, reduces the risk of drift, and allows you to respond to change without losing sight of your goals.

As one program manager put it:

“It’s not about adding another tool - it’s about putting the goals where the work lives. That’s what keeps us aligned from planning through delivery.”

If your PI planning goals keep slipping out of sight, it’s time to bring them into the place your teams already live and breathe. Easy Agile Programs turns Jira into a living, shared objectives hub - helping you plan to ship, and then prove it.

Ready to make your objectives as visible as your work? Start a free trial of Easy Agile Programs and turn your plans into measurable progress your whole organisation can see and celebrate.

Your next 30 minutes

1. Install Easy Agile Programs from the Atlassian Marketplace – it’s free to evaluate.
   
   
2. Import your upcoming Program Increment – story points, sprints and existing issues sync automatically.
   
   
3. Draft three objectives and link a handful of issues. Watch the Board light up with goal flags.
   
   
4. Share Objectives View with your leadership Slack channel. Collect applause – and funding.
   
   

In half an hour you’ll turn opaque plans into a living dashboard that guides every commit.

FAQ: Objectives in Jira and PI Planning

1. How do you link PI objectives to Jira issues?

In Easy Agile Programs, drag and drop any issue onto an objective to create a goal flag. This keeps context visible wherever work happens.

2. What’s the benefit of tracking business value of PI objectives in Jira?

Business value scoring in Jira lets you prioritise by impact, making trade-offs data-driven and transparent to all stakeholders.‍

3. How does adding PI objectives in Jira help during PI Planning?

Embedding team PI objectives in Jira means the goals you set during PI Planning stay visible and measurable throughout the Increment, reducing drift and late surprises.‍

4. How do you measure PI objectives effectively?

Use a combination of business value scores, progress tracking in the Jira Program Board, and dependency health to assess whether objectives are on track to deliver their intended outcomes.

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TL;DR

Weekly PI Syncs work best when updates are evidence-based, not from anecdotal. When work in Jira is linked to measurable objectives and real-time status is visible, teams see momentum and risks early. Independent research shows that scattered information hides delays and consumes budget; evidence closes that gap.

Easy Agile Programs brings this into Jira. Teams create objectives, link every scheduled issue, and see concise progress bars and value scoring that make the impact clear. The result is faster, confident decisions, fewer update-chasing meetings, and customers see outcomes sooner.

Why tracking progress in Jira beats assumptions

It’s the first weekly PI Sync, and every team lead shares a confident “In Progress” update. By the second sync, a hidden dependency has derailed two of the teams, and leadership wonders how the story changed so quickly. Sound familiar? 

PI Syncs work best when updates are anchored in evidence. When each team links issues to clear objectives and shares progress tracked where the work lives in Jira, leaders see momentum and emerging risks early. The conversation can focus on decisions rather than debate.

Research shows the cost of scattered information is real. Atlassian’s 2025 State of Teams reports that leaders and teams waste 25% of their time searching for information, a symptom of poor reporting and fragmented data. When information is hard to find, decisions are slow, and delivery dates slip.

When you connect work to measurable objectives, make real-time status visible, and map dependencies across the PI, you provide everyone with the picture they need to see the logical next step. 

The Cost of Hidden Delays

In PMI’s 2020 Pulse of the Profession, organisations wasted 11.4 cents of every project dollar through poor performance. That’s real budget lost because problems stayed hidden until it was too late. 

Fast forward to 2023, and Harvard Business Review found that while 89 percent of large companies have a digital or AI transformation underway, they’ve captured only 31 percent of the revenue lift they expected, largely because they can’t verify progress against the outcomes they promised.

The Standish Group paints an even starker picture: just 16 percent of IT projects finish on time, on budget, and on scope. The rest overspend, under‑deliver, or stall altogether. 

Getting it wrong is expensive. 

Data Beats Guesswork

Intuition absolutely has a place in innovation, but there are much better barometers for risk. Teams that look beyond the ship date and measure success in terms of business value and strategic alignment, as well as customer impact and quality, deliver much better results. PMI’s 2025 research shows teams with high “business acumen” (i.e., robust performance measurement) meet their business goals 83 percent of the time and fail only 8 percent of the time.

Simply put, when you can point to objective data, you make better decisions earlier and improve your chances of maintaining momentum.

Three Capabilities for Reliable Tracking in Jira

To reliably track work and progress on objectives across multiple teams, you need to be able to see those objectives, their status, and their dependencies clearly.

1. Link every task to a clear goal
   When work connects directly to objectives, teams know why a story matters and leaders can see which goals risk slipping. Tools like Easy Agile Programs let you create tangible objectives inside Jira and link every issue to them. This is the foundation for tracking delivery progress in Jira across teams.
2. Surface real‑time health signals
   Use status pills, dependency maps, and filterable views to expose blockers as they emerge, not as they bite. When teams can spot problems early, they can rearrange sequencing to support each other and keep delivery moving. This is Jira progress tracking designed for teams of teams.
3. Maintain one source of truth
   When progress lives where the work lives, everyone sees the same numbers. No tool‑switching or chasing status updates. Shared context cuts through noise and lets leaders focus support where it counts. 

Plans Built for Shipping, Not Shelving

Easy Agile Programs embeds the capabilities you need to reliably track progress towards delivery. Objectives are visible, linked work is clear, dependencies are transparent, and status is current. That means teams can adjust early, before roadblocks cause delays.

Track progress on objectives with clarity

Objectives sit at the top of each increment with a concise progress bar that shows the percent complete and remaining work. Every scheduled Jira issue can be linked to an objective, so effort maps directly to outcomes. Product owners can add business-value scores to focus time where it matters most. The Objectives view and the Objectives Report provide a consolidated read on progress, grounded in Jira data rather than slide decks.

Map dependencies and blockers early

Open the Dependencies view or report to see relationships across teams. Visual links highlight upstream and downstream connections and flag items at risk. Select any link to open details such as owner, due date, and next steps, so teams can act before a small issue puts pressure on the schedule. You can also filter the Program Board by objective to see the contributing epics and stories, plus any dependencies that could affect them.

Teams replace anecdotal updates with evidence they can show stakeholders. Leaders can avoid reactive firefighting to focus on coaching and delivery. Most importantly, customers feel the value sooner because plans that are aligned with objectives deliver outcomes that make a real difference.

Try It: Turn Progress into Proof

Easy Agile Programs installs in minutes, and with our easy setup guide, you can create a digital program board for your teams in Jira with minimal overhead. You can test the full functionality yourself with a free 30-day evaluation period, and once you've given your teams the clear picture of progress they need in Jira, you'll see anecdotal updates transform into evidence-based progress.

‍TL;DR

• Simplified OKRs to two levels for clarity and focus.
• Introduced monthly confidence scoring to catch issues early.
• Strengthened cross-team collaboration and ownership.
• Replaced rigid planning with flexible roadmaps.
• How Easy Agile Programs helps teams align daily work with strategic goals.
• FAQs to help you improve your own OKR process.

At Easy Agile, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to structure, align, and apply Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in a way that actually works.

When we first introduced OKRs, our goal was to bring more strategic clarity and better alignment. But as our company grew, so did the complexity. Teams found themselves trying to work through vague objectives, siloed collaboration, and a rigid process that made it hard to adapt quickly when things changed.

Over time, through reflection and continuous feedback, we realised that great OKRs don’t just need to be clear. They also need a process that’s flexible and practical enough to help teams focus and deliver in real time.

If your organisation is running into similar issues, our journey might help you find a better path to strategy alignment.

Why We Had to Rethink Our OKRs

Our original OKR setup had company, function, and team-level objectives. While this seemed like a thorough structure, it ended up creating more complexity than clarity.

Many teams told us they felt overwhelmed by how many objectives they had to manage. Often, these objectives didn’t feel clearly tied to the overall direction of the company, which made it hard to prioritise or stay motivated.

Collaboration between teams also suffered. Important dependencies weren’t always spotted early, which led to mid-quarter issues and a lot of reactive work. On top of that, our quarterly planning cycle was too rigid. It didn’t give us enough room to pause, learn from what was happening, or shift priorities when something changed.

One of the biggest challenges was the way we tracked progress. Without a shared approach to scoring, it was hard to tell how things were really going. Teams weren’t always sure whether they were on track or falling behind, and by the time we found out, it was often too late to course correct.

From our feedback sessions, we heard some consistent problems:

• OKRs became a checkbox activity. Teams felt like they had to create objectives every quarter, but didn’t see them as useful for real decision-making.
• High-level company OKRs felt too abstract. It wasn’t clear how day-to-day work connected to broader goals.
• Cross-team collaboration was difficult. Dependencies surfaced late, which made it harder to stay aligned and meet deadlines.
• The planning cadence was too inflexible. We weren’t creating space for reflection or change during the quarter.
• Scoring was inconsistent. With no shared method for reviewing progress, we often missed early signs that something wasn’t working.

All of this made it clear: we didn’t need to adjust our OKRs; we needed to completely rethink them.

Our New OKR System: Before and After

Rather than making small tweaks, we decided to completely redesign our OKR framework. We simplified it and built in more flexibility. We wanted fewer OKRs, better collaboration, and a stronger link between strategy and delivery.

Here’s a snapshot of what changed:

Core Principles Guiding Our New Framework

This wasn’t just a structural update. It was a mindset shift. We redefined the role OKRs should play in our company and focused on what our teams actually need to do their best work: alignment, focus, and the ability to learn and adapt.

Value Over Volume

We aim for fewer, more meaningful objectives. This helps teams stay focused on what really matters without feeling overwhelmed.

Strategic Alignment

Every objective now connects clearly to a company priority. This makes it easier for teams to see how their work contributes to broader goals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

OKRs are designed to be shared across teams. We make sure that responsibilities and dependencies are visible and co-owned.

Learning and Adaptability

We use regular check-ins, not just end-of-quarter reviews, to reflect on what’s working, spot risks, and adjust as we go.

Scoring OKRs: A More Consistent Rhythm for Progress Tracking

To improve how we track progress, we introduced a unified 1–5 confidence scoring system across the company.

Every month, teams rate their confidence in each Key Result - not just whether it’s complete, but whether we’re on track to achieve the intended outcome by the end of the quarter.

Here’s how it works:

This shared model has helped create a common language for progress, better conversations in our check-ins about what’s really happening, and proactive course corrections.

Early Wins and What’s Next

We knew this shift would take time. But even in the early stages, we’re seeing positive changes across the business. These aren’t just surface-level changes; they’re shifts in how teams think about impact, alignment, and shared responsibility.

Here’s what has stood out so far:

• Stronger strategic clarity. Teams now see how their work links to broader goals. This clarity has unlocked better prioritisation and stronger engagement.
• Improved cross-functional planning. We’re catching dependencies earlier, which means fewer mid-quarter surprises and more consistent momentum across shared initiatives.
• More meaningful check-ins. Our monthly reviews are no longer just updates. They’re real opportunities to reflect, course-correct, and celebrate progress - especially when confidence scores trend upward.

Of course, we’re not done yet. The next iteration will focus on simplifying how dependencies are captured, giving teams better support in shaping roadmaps, and reinforcing consistent practices around scoring.

How Easy Agile Programs Can Help Teams Operationalise OKRs

Once we have a clearer OKR structure, we need the right tools to support it. Easy Agile Programs helps teams turn strategy into execution that keeps OKRs visible, flexible, and connected to delivery.

Visual Goal Alignment

Easy Agile Programs makes it easy to connect team roadmaps to strategic OKRs. This helps everyone understand how their work supports the big picture - without needing to cross-reference multiple tools.

Better Collaboration and Transparency

With the Dependency Report in Easy Agile Programs, teams can visualise how their work intersects with others’ across the organisation. This early visibility helps surface potential blockers and makes it easier to coordinate shared timelines before risks turn into issues.

Strategic Prioritisation

The Objectives Report gives teams a real-time view of which objectives are in play, who’s contributing, and how much progress has been made. It helps teams stay focused on outcomes, not just activity - making it easier to course correct or re-align when needed.

OKRs Are Only as Strong as the System Behind Them

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all frameworks. What we’ve built is a system that works for our size, our rhythm, and our teams.

It’s not about having perfect OKRs. It’s about having the right environment around them - a rhythm of planning and reflection, a shared language of progress, and clear alignment between strategy and delivery.

And getting that environment right means using tools that could support the way we actually work.

Easy Agile Programs can help with that. It gives teams the structure and visibility to turn strategic goals into coordinated execution. It helps bring teams into the planning process earlier, surface risks sooner, and keep OKRs connected to real work throughout the quarter - not just at the start and end.

OKRs don’t live in documents. They live in decisions and in the day-to-day choices teams make about where to focus. Having a tool that keeps those choices visible, flexible, and aligned will make a real difference.

We’re still learning and refining. But this shift has already helped us work with more clarity, more collaboration, and more confidence in where we’re heading.

If you’re running into similar challenges with your OKRs, we’ve been there. We’d love to share more about what’s worked for us - and hear how others are building systems that turn goals into real progress.

Get in touch with us →

FAQs: Implementing Effective OKRs

How does Easy Agile establish cross-functional OKRs?

The Leadership Team drafts initial cross-functional OKRs aligned to strategic priorities, actively incorporating detailed input from teams to ensure practicality and alignment.

Do teams maintain autonomy within this OKR framework?

Yes, teams have full autonomy in determining how they operationalise OKRs through their individual roadmaps, balancing clear strategic direction with operational flexibility.

How do teams understand their contributions to OKRs?

Easy Agile Programs explicitly highlights collaborating teams and relevant initiatives, providing clarity on responsibilities and proactively managing dependencies.

What does ownership of a cross-functional OKR entail?

Ownership involves strategic coordination, proactive communication, risk management, and progress tracking—not necessarily performing every task directly.

How are routine operational tasks managed?

Operational tasks (“Keep The Lights On” activities) are tracked separately within team roadmaps, ensuring clear strategic focus without operational disruption.

How does Easy Agile handle off-track OKRs?

Our simplified 1-5 scoring system proactively identifies risks, enabling teams to quickly intervene and make agile adjustments.

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