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Modern Announcement Banner for Jira - User Documentation

Overview​

Modern Announcement Banner for Jira allows administrators to create and manage announcement banners that appear at the top of Jira. Keep your team informed about important updates, maintenance windows, policy changes, or any other critical information.

Features​

Core Functionality​

  • Create Unlimited Announcements - Save multiple announcement messages for quick reuse
  • Instant Enable/Disable - Turn announcements on or off without deleting them
  • Dismissible Banners - Let users close banners or keep them persistent
  • Visibility Control - Choose between public and private visibility
  • Announcement History - Keep a library of saved announcements
  • One-Click Switching - Quickly switch between saved announcements

User Experience​

  • Banners appear at the top of every Jira page
  • Clean, non-intrusive design matches Jira's interface
  • Dismissible banners can be closed by users
  • Persistent banners remain visible until disabled by admin

Getting Started​

Prerequisites​

  • Jira Cloud instance
  • Jira Administrator permissions
  • Modern Announcement Banner app installed from Atlassian Marketplace

Accessing the App​

  1. Log in to Jira as an administrator
  2. Click the Settings icon (⚙️) in the top navigation
  3. Select Apps from the dropdown
  4. Click Modern Announcement Banner for Jira in the left sidebar

Creating Announcements​

Create a New Announcement​

  1. Click the New announcement button
  2. Enter your announcement message in the text area
  3. Configure settings:
    • Enabled - Check to display the banner immediately
    • Dismissible - Check to allow users to close the banner
    • Visibility - Choose Public or Private
  4. Click Create

Announcement Settings Explained​

Enabled

  • ✅ Checked: Banner displays immediately on all Jira pages
  • ☐ Unchecked: Banner is saved but not displayed

Dismissible

  • ✅ Checked: Users can close the banner (won't see it again in their session)
  • ☐ Unchecked: Banner remains visible until admin disables it

Visibility

  • Public: Banner visible to all users
  • Private: Banner follows Jira's privacy settings

Message Guidelines​

Best Practices:

  • Keep messages concise (under 200 characters recommended)
  • Use clear, actionable language
  • Include relevant dates/times for time-sensitive announcements
  • Avoid technical jargon when possible

Examples:

  • ✅ "Scheduled maintenance: Jira will be unavailable Saturday 2-4 AM EST"
  • ✅ "New policy: All issues must include time estimates starting Monday"
  • ✅ "Welcome to the new Jira workspace! Check out our getting started guide"
  • ❌ "System update" (too vague)
  • ❌ "URGENT!!!! READ THIS NOW!!!!" (too aggressive)

Limitations:

  • Plain text only (no HTML or formatting)
  • No images or links
  • No rich text formatting

Managing Announcements​

View All Announcements​

The main interface displays a table with all your saved announcements:

ColumnDescription
MessageThe announcement text
VisibilityPublic or Private
StatusEnabled (green) or Disabled (gray)
DismissibleYes or No
ActionsEdit and Enable buttons

Edit an Announcement​

  1. Click Edit on the announcement you want to modify
  2. Update the message or settings
  3. Click Save

Note: Changes take effect immediately if the announcement is enabled.

Enable a Saved Announcement​

  1. Find the announcement in the table
  2. Click Enable
  3. The banner appears immediately on all Jira pages

Important: Only one announcement can be active at a time. Enabling a new announcement automatically disables the current one.

Disable an Announcement​

  1. Edit the announcement
  2. Uncheck Enabled
  3. Click Save

The banner is removed from all Jira pages immediately.

Delete an Announcement​

Currently, announcements cannot be deleted. You can disable them to remove them from view while keeping them in your history for future use.

Use Cases​

System Maintenance Notifications​

Scenario: Scheduled maintenance window

Example:

Message: "Scheduled maintenance: Jira will be unavailable Saturday, Jan 15, 2-4 AM EST. Plan accordingly."
Enabled: ✅
Dismissible: ☐ (Keep visible)
Visibility: Public

Timing:

  • Enable 1 week before maintenance
  • Update with countdown as date approaches
  • Disable after maintenance completes

Policy Updates​

Scenario: New team policy announcement

Example:

Message: "New policy effective Feb 1: All bugs must include reproduction steps. See wiki for details."
Enabled: ✅
Dismissible: ✅ (Users can dismiss after reading)
Visibility: Public

Event Notifications​

Scenario: Company event or deadline

Example:

Message: "Reminder: Q1 planning submissions due Friday, Jan 20. Submit your proposals in Confluence."
Enabled: ✅
Dismissible: ✅
Visibility: Public

Emergency Alerts​

Scenario: Urgent issue affecting team

Example:

Message: "URGENT: Production incident in progress. All hands on deck. Check #incident-response Slack."
Enabled: ✅
Dismissible: ☐ (Keep visible)
Visibility: Public

Onboarding Messages​

Scenario: Welcome message for new team members

Example:

Message: "Welcome to Jira! New to the team? Check out our onboarding guide in Confluence."
Enabled: ✅
Dismissible: ✅
Visibility: Public

Tips & Best Practices​

Message Writing​

  1. Be Concise - Users scan banners quickly
  2. Be Specific - Include dates, times, and actions
  3. Be Clear - Avoid ambiguity or technical jargon
  4. Be Actionable - Tell users what to do or where to go
  1. Save Templates - Create reusable announcements for common scenarios
  2. Update Regularly - Keep time-sensitive announcements current
  3. Use Dismissible Wisely - One-time announcements should be dismissible
  4. Test First - Preview how your message looks before enabling

Timing​

  1. Advance Notice - Enable maintenance announcements well in advance
  2. Remove Promptly - Disable announcements when no longer relevant
  3. Avoid Banner Fatigue - Don't keep banners up too long
  4. Coordinate - Align with other communication channels

Troubleshooting​

Possible Causes:

  • Announcement is not enabled
  • Browser cache needs clearing
  • User has dismissed a dismissible banner

Solutions:

  1. Verify announcement is enabled in the admin interface
  2. Ask users to refresh their browser (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
  3. For dismissible banners, users need to clear cookies or use incognito mode

Changes Not Showing​

Solution:

  • Changes take effect immediately
  • Users may need to refresh their browser
  • Check that you clicked "Save" after editing

Can't Create Announcement​

Possible Causes:

  • License issue
  • Permission issue
  • Network connectivity

Solutions:

  1. Verify you have a valid license
  2. Confirm you have Jira Administrator permissions
  3. Check browser console for errors
  4. Contact support if issue persists

Multiple Banners Showing​

Note: This shouldn't happen - only one banner can be active at a time.

If it occurs:

  1. Disable all announcements
  2. Enable only the one you want
  3. Contact support if issue persists

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: How many announcements can I create? A: Unlimited. You can save as many announcements as you need.

Q: Can I schedule announcements to enable/disable automatically? A: Not in the current version. You must manually enable/disable announcements.

Q: Will the banner show on mobile? A: Yes, banners appear on all Jira interfaces including mobile.

Q: Can I target specific users or groups? A: Not directly. Use the Public/Private visibility setting, but targeting specific users isn't supported.

Q: What happens if I uninstall the app? A: Your saved announcements are preserved in Forge storage. If you reinstall, they'll still be there.

Q: Can I use emojis in announcements? A: Yes, emojis are supported as they're part of plain text.

Q: Is there an API? A: The app uses Jira's announcement banner API. There's no separate API for the app itself.

Q: Can I see who dismissed a banner? A: No, dismissal is handled client-side and not tracked.

Support​

Getting Help​

Support Email: service@ngpilot.com

Reporting Issues​

When reporting issues, please include:

  1. Jira Cloud URL
  2. Steps to reproduce
  3. Expected vs actual behavior
  4. Screenshots if applicable
  5. Browser and version

Feature Requests​

We welcome feature requests! Please submit them via:

Changelog​

Version 1.0.0 (Initial Release)​

  • Create and manage announcement banners
  • Enable/disable functionality
  • Dismissible banner option
  • Public/private visibility control
  • Announcement history management
  • Simple admin interface

Privacy & Security​

Data Storage​

  • Announcements are stored in Forge secure storage
  • No data is sent to external servers
  • Data is encrypted at rest

Permissions​

  • App requires manage:jira-configuration scope
  • Only Jira administrators can access the app
  • Users cannot modify announcements