# The Hidden Revolution: How Forge and the Teamwork Graph Make Atlassian AI Actually Usable

> How Forge and the Teamwork Graph turn Rovo and Atlassian Intelligence into a business-critical AI platform. Architecture patterns, governance, and the XALT approach.

Source: https://www.xalt.de/en/blog/how-forge-and-teamwork-graph-make-atlassian-ai-usable/

Burak Erol Ambassador for AI & System of Work at XALT · 20 November 2025 · 7 min

![Portrait of Burak Erol](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/c475o02b/production/2b7853bfb4e8d5a51a16fde5a6c622686ffc2429-203x203.png?w=1504&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)

Burak Erol

Ambassador for AI & System of Work at XALT

While much was said about Rovo in Barcelona, the real magic is happening one level down: **Forge** and the **Teamwork Graph** are becoming the platform on which AI features become not just “nice to have” but **business-critical**. This article deliberately does not focus on the Rovo headlines already [summarised elsewhere](https://www.xalt.de/en/blog/atlassian-team-25-europe-rovo-news-and-highlights/), but shows how teams can now quickly leverage robust value with Forge – from data integration to governance to reusable agent capabilities.

![Diagram: a band "Atlassian Intelligence & Rovo" on top, a node network around "Teamwork Graph" in the middle, data sources left, user roles right](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/c475o02b/production/e3648dd53fb79f9d228b38af93576d3841dda961-2000x900.png?w=1504&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)

Die Atlassian AI-Plattform im Überblick: Rovo, Forge und der Teamwork Graph verbinden Datenquellen, Nutzer und Produkte zu einem gemeinsamen ‚System of Work‘.

## Atlassian Intelligence: AI in everyday life, not as an add-on

[Rovo](https://www.xalt.de/en/blog/what-is-atlassian-rovo/) does not stand alone. [**Atlassian Intelligence**](https://www.xalt.de/en/blog/atlassian-intelligence-for-jira-and-confluence/) runs through Jira, Confluence and Loom, and demonstrates its value in **concrete everyday scenarios**:

- **Jira Task Breakdowns** automatically break down complex initiatives into manageable work packages.
- **Audio summaries in Confluence** make content consumable on the go.
- **Video-to-Issue in Loom** turns screen recordings directly into structured Jira tickets – including acceptance criteria.

These are not gimmicks, but features that make **a noticeable difference** in day-to-day work. When a 10-minute Loom recording automatically becomes a complete issue, it changes the workflow.

Atlassian links knowledge, work and people in a shared data model: the **Teamwork Graph**. For developers, this means: apps can read and populate this model – which forms the basis for context-rich experiences, search results and AI automations beyond Jira, Confluence & Co.

## Forge: The foundation for extensions

While Rovo receives much of the attention, **Forge** works quietly in the engine room. The platform provides, among other things, access to the **Teamwork Graph** – the connected data model across issues, people, projects and their relationships. On this, capabilities can be built that act **context-aware** across products.

### What this means for organisations

- **Custom Intelligence**: Developers create **custom Rovo Skills** that access proprietary systems. This allows Rovo to answer questions about your CRM, access legacy data, or orchestrate workflows across multiple platforms.
- **AI-Assisted Development**: Rovo Studio and Forge enable a new development mode: describe requirements in natural language, generate scaffolding, and harden and extend the technical implementation.
- **Cross-Product Automation**: Forge drives processes across Jira, Confluence & Co. – with **Reasoning over the Teamwork Graph** for smarter, context-aware operations.

## Rovo Studio + Forge: Low-Code meets “Production-Grade”

Rovo Studio unites the key building blocks for creating solutions (Agents, Automations, Assets, Hubs, Apps). This allows power users to quickly build working prototypes – and development teams make these production-ready with Forge (including policies, secure secrets, monitoring/observability, and audits).

### Architecture patterns with quick impact

**1. Bring in your own context (Teamwork Graph)**

Integrates external systems such as CRM, PLM, Data Warehouse, or DMS. This makes their data available in search, chat, and agents – answers are based on your business reality, not just Atlassian data.

**2. Skill library instead of chaos**

Start with a few tested skills and clear permissions (e.g., issue creation with acceptance criteria, asset lookup, approvals). **Version, monitor, roll out** – and curate centrally.

**3. From Studio prototype to Forge hardening**

Transfer successful flows to Forge and add secrets management, rate limits/retry, audit trails, feature flags, and rollbacks. This makes prototypes robust and revision-safe.

**4. Smart Links as UI glue**

Use context-rich link previews to save clicks and increase adoption – particularly in Confluence collections and project overviews.

## Assets as a platform building block

An important signal: [**Assets**](https://support.atlassian.com/assets/docs/what-is-assets-in-jira-service-management-cloud/) is no longer “just” a CMDB in the JSM context, but is designed as a platform-wide building block. This makes object data (configurations, devices, contracts, master data) **searchable, automatable, and AI-capable** – across products, usable via Forge and Rovo. For XALT customers with complex IT landscapes, CIs, or relationship models, **new transparency and control options** open up.

**Conclusion**: Treat “Assets” as an object layer for AI flows (e.g., “Find available laptops with M-Chip, location X, warranty \< 3 months”). Agents can act on this basis, not just respond.

## Operational readiness: Security, permissions, visibility

To move from prototype to production, these guardrails should be established to ensure security, access control, and operational transparency.

- **Governance & permissions:** Defines who can create agents and skills, which access rights (scopes) are required, and which actions require confirmation.
- **Visibility & activation:** Ensures that Rovo and Studio are visible and enabled for the right user groups – including verification of plans/editions.
- **Monitoring & compliance:** Sets up logging, metrics, audit events, and fallback/rollback early on, so you can trace processes and roll back quickly if needed.

## The convergence: Lower barriers, faster innovation

The key is not a single feature, but the **convergence**:

- **Non-developers** build automations in natural language.
- **Developers** deliver deep integrations faster – on a shared AI context.
- **Teams** extend capabilities without waiting for vendor roadmaps.

This **democratisation** is crucial because every organisation functions differently. Winners adapt tools to their reality – not the other way around.

![Gestufte Pyramide zur Rollenverteilung in Rovo AI: Oben Non-Developer, die Automationen in natürlicher Sprache bauen; darunter Power-User, die Agents, Skills und Flows konfigurieren; darunter Developer, die über Forge externe Systeme integrieren; unten die Organisation, die AI-Workflows skaliert und strategische Vorteile gewinnt.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/c475o02b/production/533faeae52c8f26305f0b043c38eac6d1c9982a2-2000x900.png?w=1504&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)

Wie die Konvergenz von Rovo, Intelligence und Forge Entwicklung demokratisiert: Jede Rolle trägt bei, die Organisation gewinnt an Geschwindigkeit und Innovationskraft.

### What this means for your organisation

If you are an XALT customer or considering our solutions, these developments enable the following:

- **Immediate results:** The general availability of Rovo means that AI features are accessible today, not in some distant future. We support you in enabling these features and integrating them into your workflows.
- **Tailored solutions:**With Forge and Rovo Studio, we can develop custom AI agents and automations that address your specific challenges, whether it is automating service requests, extracting insights from documents, or connecting distributed systems.
- **Strategic advantage:**Organisations that introduce AI-supported workflows early achieve cumulative benefits. Early adopters actively shape how these tools evolve, while competitors watch from the sidelines.

## The XALT advantage

At XALT, we do not just implement Atlassian products; we design intelligent *Systems of Work*. As a partner for AI & System of Work, we support you in:

- assessing which AI capabilities deliver immediate ROI in your context,
- designing workflows that effectively leverage Rovo, Intelligence, and Forge,
- building bespoke solutions with our deep Forge development expertise, and
- empowering your teams to extract maximum value from these AI capabilities.

The convergence of Rovo, Atlassian Intelligence, and Forge is more than a minor update. It marks a fundamental shift in how work is done – **from manual to intelligent, from isolated to connected, from reactive to proactive.**

Ready to discover how **Rovo**, **Atlassian Intelligence**, and **Forge** can transform your organisation? [**Contact XALT**](https://www.xalt.de/en/contact/) to discuss your AI-augmented future. Our team of Atlassian consultants and Forge developers helps you move from **possibility** to **reality**.

## Ready for AI that actually fits your business?

We help you put Rovo, Atlassian Intelligence, and Forge to work in a way that delivers real, measurable value – from governance to your own custom Forge app.

[Talk to us](https://www.xalt.de/en/contact/)

## More articles

### [Personal AI Agents Compared: Rovo, OpenClaw, and Agent SDKs Like Claude or OpenAI](https://www.xalt.de/en/blog/personal-ai-agents-compared-rovo-openclaw-and-agent-sdks/)

Rovo, OpenClaw, or Claude/OpenAI: how personal AI agents differ in 2026 and which approach fits your team.

*Atlassian*

### [BaFin Compliance for Atlassian Cloud – What Financial Institutions Need to Know Now](https://www.xalt.de/en/blog/bafin-compliance-atlassian-cloud-migration/)

New EU FSA rules have been in effect for Atlassian Cloud in financial services since December 2024. We show what has changed and how you can migrate to the cloud in a BaFin-compliant way.

*Atlassian*

### [Atlassian Team '26 Recap: The Shift to the AI-Native Organization and the Role of the Teamwork Graph](https://www.xalt.de/en/blog/atlassian-team-26-recap-teamwork-graph/)

XALT was on the ground at Atlassian Team '26 in Anaheim. Our recap covers the Teamwork Graph, Rovo, and the new Teamwork, Service, Product, Software, and Strategy Collections – and what it means for enterprises in Germany.

*Atlassian*

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