Structuring ideas and aligning discovery work with delivery goals is crucial for product managers, but it’s not always easy. Atlassian’s Jira Product Discovery (JPD) has become a go-to solution for organizing ideas, insights, and roadmaps within a unified platform....
Carlos Almeida
3 Ways To Extend BigPicture’s Capabilities
Managing complex portfolios, distributed teams, and evolving business priorities demands connected insights. That’s where BigPicture by Appfire shines. As one of the most powerful project portfolio management tools for Jira, BigPicture brings structure, clarity, and...
Why Clear Requirements Matter: Proven Strategies for Software Development Success
Requirements Management in Software Development Carlos:I’m Carlos Almeida, Engineering VP at SPK and Associates. I have years and years of experience with very large projects in software development and infrastructure, DevOps, regulated and unregulated industries. I...
Making the Leap from IBM Rational DOORS to Modern ALM Solutions
For years, IBM Rational DOORS has been a cornerstone for requirements management in highly regulated industries. Unfortunately, as development practices evolve, DOORS has not evolved with them. One of the biggest challenges with this is that there’s no direct upgrade...
Mastering Project Portfolios in Jira with BigPicture and 7pace Timetracker Integration
Project portfolio management in Jira is powerful, but it can be even more effective with the right add-ons. For teams that need visibility into project schedules, resources, and actual delivery performance, BigPicture and 7pace Timetracker from SPK partner Appfire...
Key Challenges and Solutions for DO-178C Compliance for Aerospace Software Development
In the aerospace industry, safety is non-negotiable. From passenger aircraft to defense systems, every airborne software component must meet rigorous standards. DO-178C serves as the benchmark for ensuring that aviation software is developed with the highest degree of...
Gitflow vs. trunk-based development: Which is better?
Modern software development relies on version control systems to help teams manage changes, collaborate, and deliver high-quality code. Two popular Git workflows, Gitflow and Trunk-Based Development, offer different approaches to managing branches and releases....
Best Practices for Transitioning from Shortcut to Jira Smoothly
Shortcut and Jira are both trusted tools for helping teams manage software projects with agile methodologies, issue tracking, and collaboration features. While Shortcut is known for its simplicity and lightweight design, many growing teams reach a point where they...
Open Source Components in Your Code: How to Detect Them and Why It Matters
Open source software is everywhere, and for good reason. It drives innovation, giving teams access to powerful tools and frameworks without licensing fees. While the benefits are clear, hidden open-source components in your product can introduce risks. These include...
High Velocity Service Management for Modern IT Teams
Responsive IT support is no longer cutting it for digital-first enterprises. These organizations need streamlined, connected service experiences that can keep pace with changing market conditions and business needs. Enter High Velocity Service Management, a...
Team-managed and company-managed: How to Structure Jira Cloud Projects for Better Collaboration
Whether you’re just getting started with Jira Cloud or looking to scale your setup across departments, structuring your projects correctly is key to effective collaboration. One of the innovations Atlassian made during the change to their architecture for Cloud is to...
Maximizing ROI and Best Practices for Enterprise-Wide Jira Adoption
Introduction Hi everyone, I'm Michael Roberts, Vice President of Sales and Marketing here at SPK and Associates. Joining us today is an important person to our organization. We're going to talk about diving into a really important Jira for enterprise use case scenario...











