Top task mapping

This method helped me understand the opportunities for deeper AI feature integration at Atlassian. By plotting top tasks against a future of work framework borrowed from “The Adaptation Advantage” by Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley, I identified clear automation and augmentation opportunities across Atlassian’s key verticals.

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The framework

The method maps each task across two axes:

Task complexity: Repetitive to Complex
Outcome clarity: Known to Ambiguous

Repetitive tasks with known outcomes are prime candidates for automation. Complex tasks with ambiguous outcomes work better with human-led augmentation. Tasks in the middle can often be broken down into automatable and human-led components.

Key insights

Running this framework against Atlassian’s top tasks in late 2020 revealed four themes where human judgment remained essential:

Developing strategy — Creating novel ideas that differentiate products from competition
Team cohesiveness — Aligning teams on vision, motivating people, building relationships
Coordinating complex programs — Multi-team coordination, risk management, cross-team alignment
Continuous learning — Interpreting knowledge, decision making, fostering knowledge sharing culture

Note: These insights predate the current AI revolution. How do these themes hold up in 2025?