Importing Dependency, Risks or PI Objectives into an ALM tool
Overview
PI Objectives, Dependency and Risk sticky notes are artifacts that are essential to capture the discussions, decisions and collaboration that occur during any planning event. They are, however, technically not Work Items (or Potential Backlog Items/PBI's), so by design there is no synchronization of these sticky types/items in piplanning.io to an ALM tool.
If you desire is to have these artifacts imported into your ALM tool you can use the XLSX Download utility in piplanning.io and the CSV Import utility in your ALM tool.
What follows below is just some simple guidance on the main steps to perform the import of Dependencies into Jira Software. This is one simple scenario used to describe the process. Apply the same guidance and instructions contained in this scenario to synchronize Dependency, Risks and PI Objectives from piplanning.io to your ALM tool of choice.
Note: This is not a comprehensive step-by-step guide but the process itself is fairly straight-forward and you maybe even able to automate some of it.
Remember: By design only the Work Item sticky types/functions are available to synchronize with an ALM tool. The Dependency and Risk Sticky Type Functions are not designed to sync with ALM tools, they also have different behaviors or properties solely to support the collaboration and coordination of the actual work items that do end up being created in Teams backlogs. Note: Learn more about the four (4x) fundamental Sticky types/functions (Work Item, Risks, Dependency, Note) in piplanning.io here.
If you desire to synchronize Dependency, Risks and PI Objectives into an ALM tool then this article will provide you guidance on how to do this via the XLSX Download utility and utilizing the ALM tools CSV Import utility.
piplanning.io’s XLSX Download feature allows you to export all data from your PI Session into an Excel (*.xlsx) file which includes the Dependency and Risk sticky notes, plus the PI Objectives.
Create a CSV file from this data export (*.xlsx file), and import it into Jira or another Agile Lifecycle Management (ALM) solution using the ALM tools CSV Import utility.
Prerequisites
piplanning.io Permissions/Role: You must have either the Admin or PI Admin role in order to have permission to download the PI Session data via the XLSX Download feature.
Jira Permissions: Ensure you have the “Create Issues” and “Make Bulk Changes” permissions in the target Jira Project. Check with your Jira administrator if unsure.
Spreadsheet software: Use Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or a similar tool to edit the *.xlsx file and save it as a CSV.
Jira Configuration: Confirm that your Jira Project supports a Jira Issue Type/s to map the Dependency, Risk or PI Objective records too.
Jira CSV import requirements, see Atlassian’s Import Data from a CSV File.
Steps to Import items into Jira (or alternative ALM tool)
Step 1: Download the PI Session XLSX File
Login to the RTE Cockpit
Navigate to the SAFe PIs menu option, and click on the
...button under the Actions menu.Select XLSX Download to download the *.xlsx file containing all PI Session data.
Save the file to your computer (e.g.,
PI_Session_2025_Q2.xlsx).
Note: The *.xlsx file download includes multiple Sheets (e.g., objectives, backlog, art-planning, Team, dependencies).
This guide focuses on instructions for importing Dependencies (on the dependencies sheet in the *.xlsx download). You can use the same process to import other items like PI Objectives or Risks to the ALM tool.
Step 2: Extract Dependency Data from the XLSX File
Open the downloaded *.xlsx file in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Select the sheet named
dependencies, it contains all the Dependency sticky note data for this PI Session. Columns include:id: Unique internal identifier for the dependency sticky note.text: Details of the dependency.precond_team: The team requesting the dependency.depend_team: The team responsible for fulfilling the dependency.art-name: Current state (e.g., “Open,” “Committed,” “Resolved”).Other Fields:flag, iteration-name,iteration-number.
Select the relevant columns for Jira import. At minimum, include:
text(this will map to the Jira Issue Summary or Description field).precond_team(Source) anddepend_team(Target Team) (Note: these fields need map to custom fields or Labels in Jira).iteration_name(maps to the Jira Issue Sprint field).
Copy the data to a new spreadsheet or delete unnecessary columns to simplify the file.
Tip: You can copy the id column across into the Description or Summary field in Jira if you want to keep that piplanning.io internal identifier for some auditing or tracking purposes but it is not needed, as Jira will assign its own Issue Key (e.g., PROJ-123).
Step 3: Prepare the CSV File for the Jira Import
In the new spreadsheet (or in the existing
dependenciessheet with all other columns deleted), ensure the first row contains column headers that align with Jira fields. Recommended headers:Summary: Brief description of the dependency (required by Jira).Issue Type: Set to “Dependency” (or “Task”/”Story” if Dependency isn’t a custom issue type).Description: Detailed explanation of the dependency (optional).Labels: Combine Source Team and Target Team (e.g., “TeamA_TeamB”) for tracking.Status: Dependency status (maps to Jira’s Status or a custom field).Project Key: The Jira project key (e.g., “PROJ”).
Save the spreadsheet as a CSV file:
In MS Excel: Go to File > Save As > Select “CSV UTF-8 (Comma-delimited) (*.csv)”.
In Google Sheets: Go to File > Download > “Comma-separated values (.csv)”.
Example filename:
dependencies_for_jira.csv.
Open the CSV file in a text editor (e.g., Notepad++) to verify formatting:
Ensure fields with commas or line breaks are enclosed in double quotes (e.g.,
"Update API v2, urgent").Confirm no extra commas or special characters disrupt the structure.
Note: Jira requires UTF-8 encoding to handle non-English characters. Always use CSV UTF-8 format to avoid import errors.
Step 4: Import the CSV File into Jira
Log in to Jira as a user with “Create Issues” and “Make Bulk Changes” permissions.
Navigate to Filters > Search Work Items in the Jira sidebar.
Click the More (•••) menu > Select Import Issues from CSV.
In the CSV Import wizard:
Click Choose File: this is the CSV Source File that you will upload. Select the CSV file created in Steps 1-3. For example:
dependencies_for_jira.csvfile.Complete the Settings for the CSV import
Import to Project: Choose the target Jira Project (e.g., “
PROJ”).File encoding:
UTF-8Delimeter:
,Date format: leave as default
Complete the Map Fields tab. Here you need to:
Select the CSV fields to import, then set how you would like these converted to fields in JIRA. You can optionally map field values on the next screen.Map CSV Field to the Jira field and check Map value (e.g.,
texttoSummary|precond_teamanddepend_teamtoLabels).Check Map field value to align CSV values (e.g.,
flagto a Jira Status value such asAcceptedStatus).
Validate: Click Validate to check for errors (e.g., missing Summary, invalid Issue Type).
Begin Import: Click Import to create the Dependency issues.
Review the import results:
Jira will display a summary of created issues (e.g., “2 issues created: PROJ-123, PROJ-124”).
Check the Jira project to confirm the Dependency issues appear with correct fields.
Tip: Save the CSV configuration file (offered at the end of the import) for reuse in future imports. This preserves your field mappings.
For detailed CSV import instructions, see Atlassian’s Create Work Items Using the CSV Importer.
Tips for Success
Verify Jira Configuration: Ensure your Jira project has a “Dependency” Issue Type if you want to distinguish this item from other Issue Types in your backlog views or reporting. Consult your Jira administrator to configure this.
Handle Special Characters: If Dependency descriptions contain commas or line breaks, enclose them in double quotes in the CSV (e.g.,
"Update API, urgent"). This prevents import errors.Limit Import Size: Jira may have performance issues with large CSV files (>1,000 rows). If your
dependenciessheet has many rows, split the CSV into smaller files.Test with a Small File: Import a CSV with 1-2 rows first to confirm field mappings before importing the full dataset.
Check Team Fields: If
precond_team(the requesting Team) anddepend_team(Dependent on Team) Team don’t map to fields in Jira, then you could map those values to the Jira Labels field (e.g., “TeamA_TeamB”) or create custom fields in Jira.Backup Data: Keep a copy of the original *.xlsx and CSV files in case you need to re-import or troubleshoot.
Additional Resources
Atlassian Documentation:
Contact Support:
For piplanning.io issues, email [email protected].
For Jira import errors, contact your Jira Administrator or Atlassian Support.
For ADO import errors, contact your ADO Administrator or Microsoft Support.
For Rally Software import errors, contact your Rally Administrator or Broadcom.
Last Updated: April 30, 2025