Release notes for 11.31.X

The Atlassian Jira Align team is pleased to announce Jira Align v.11.31.

These features for 11.31 were released to environments on the continuous release track on November 6, 2026, in version 11.31.0. The features will be released to environments on the bundled release track on November 20, 2026, in version 11.31.1.

• Coming soon
• Enhancements and features
• Delivered suggestions
• Bug fixes

Coming soon

Epics grid: make the new experience your default

In an upcoming release, you’ll be able to set the new epics grid as your default. A new setting in the General tab of Platform settings will be available, so you no longer need to contact Support to switch.

• What changes: When the setting is on, the main menu, sidebar, and new notification emails open the new epics grid.
• What stays the same: The classic epics grid is still available. Existing direct links, like starred pages and older emails, still open the classic grid.
• If you’re already opted in: The setting is on for you from the start, and nothing changes in your experience.
• You’re in control: You can switch back at any time.

We’ll share more details in upcoming release notes when the setting launches.

Enhancements and features

Atlassian MCP server: Jira Align tools

Jira Align tools are now available in the Atlassian MCP server, so you can use AI agents and tools to look up your Jira Align terminology and item types, find and read items, and create or update them. The tools respect each user’s existing Jira Align permissions.

The tools are available for Jira Align instances that use Atlassian Guard as their authentication method. The Additional options > Allow access to AI features system role permission toggle controls access. By default, it’s switched on only for the Super Admin role. The toggle appears only for instances in the Rovo in Jira Align early access program. In those instances, you can switch it on for other system roles. To join the early access program, contact your Advisory Services representative, or open a new request with Atlassian Support, titled Align Rovo early access.

To get started, an admin turns on the read_jira_align and write_jira_align toolsets in Atlassian Administration, and users connect their AI tool to the Atlassian MCP server. For setup steps, see Get started with the Atlassian MCP server.

Roadmaps: goal support, more filters, and saved column widths

We’ve added more ways to filter, group, and lay out your roadmaps:

• Goal support for objectives: On the objectives roadmap, add the Goal column to see the strategic goal each objective supports, group objectives by goal, or filter by goal.
• Owner filter: Now available on the feature roadmap.
• Solutions filter: Now supports the is not operator on the epic and theme roadmaps, and a No value option on the theme roadmap.
• Saved column widths: Roadmaps keep the column widths you set when you save a view.

Features grid: empty-value filters and more sortable columns

It’s now easier to find features that aren’t linked to an epic or a capability. The Epic and Capability filters on the features grid page now include a No value option.

We’ve also made the Parent, Epic, Capability, Product, Type, and T-Shirt columns sortable.

Epics grid and roadmaps: No value option for custom hierarchy filters

Custom hierarchy filters on the epics grid page, and on the epic, capability, feature, and objective roadmaps, now include a No value option, so you can find items that aren’t associated with a custom room.

Grids and roadmaps: column tooltips

More columns on the grid pages and roadmaps now have a tooltip, so you can check what a column shows without leaving the page.

Grids and roadmaps: deactivated users marked in the Owner filter

Deactivated users are now labeled Deactivated in the Owner filter on the grid pages and roadmaps, so you can tell them apart from active users.

Top navigation: updated icons

Icons in the top navigation bar now have a consistent size and style, in line with the Atlassian Design System.

Accessibility: better keyboard and screen reader support

This version adds more than 300 accessibility improvements across 16 pages, including the backlog, portfolio room, program room, navigation and search, and work tree. It builds on the improvements we introduced in version 11.30.

• Keyboard navigation: You can reach buttons and tooltips with the keyboard. Focus stays inside modal dialogs and returns to the control that opened the dialog.
• Screen reader support: Screen readers now identify dialogs and comboboxes and skip decorative images. We’ve also corrected heading structure and added missing form labels.

Roles: Import permission for objectives

In preparation for importing objectives, we’ve added an Import system role permission toggle for portfolio, solution, program, and team objectives. You’ll find it next to the Add/Save and Delete toggles for objectives at each level, for example Program > Manage > Program Objectives > Import. It’s switched on by default for roles that can add and save objectives, so you can review who can import before the feature is available.

On-premise: SQL Server 2025 support

Starting with the 11.31.1 on-premise release, you can install or upgrade Jira Align on Microsoft SQL Server 2025. SQL Server 2019 and 2022 remain supported. See the database server requirements in Jira Align installation.

This applies to the Jira Align application database. Requirements for Enterprise Insights on-premise installations haven’t changed.

Capabilities grid page: now available in on-premise environments

The new capabilities grid page, which reached general availability in version 11.27, is now available by default in on-premise environments.

Delivered suggestions

Thanks to your votes on the following suggestions, we’ve delivered these enhancements:

Roadmaps: Estimate Points for epics and capabilities

With JIRAALIGN-8812 delivered, roadmaps now show epic and capability estimates in the Estimate Points column.

Themes: require a description

As part of delivering JIRAALIGN-8035, you can now make the theme Description field required in Details Panels Settings. That way, every theme explains its purpose before teams start aligning work to it.

Objectives: external IDs in aligned work items

In response to JIRAALIGN-8344, the Aligned work items list in the objective details panel now shows external IDs for aligned features, epics, and capabilities. They display below the Jira Align ID when you turn on Show External IDs in your personal settings.

Bug fixes

We’ve corrected the following bugs that were discovered while investigating related issues, building new enhancements, and performing maintenance:

11.31.0

• Dependencies: Adding an empty comment to a dependency displayed a success message and an error message at the same time.
• Dependencies: Saving a dependency on the Edit Dependency page fell back to the first selected program increment (PI) instead of the dependency’s own PI.
• Epics grid: In exports, the Objectives column description didn’t follow your platform terminology.
• Inline edit: The character count didn’t update when you closed the inline editor.
• Themes grid: Exports included a Focus Areas column that the other grid exports don’t have, and it could be blank. We’ve removed it from theme exports, but it’s still available on the grid.
• Themes grid: The Theme filter wasn’t available on the themes grid page. It’s now available and lists only the themes you have access to.
• Identified and resolved a vulnerability related to search input handling.
• Identified and resolved vulnerabilities related to page and report access.
• Identified and resolved vulnerabilities related to work item permission validation.