Explorer

Spaces? Projects? Does It Even Matter?

Oct 22, 2025

Atlassian just announced something that I have low‑key wanted them to do for a while. Jira “Projects” are being renamed to “Spaces.”

For as long as I have been working with Jira, I’ve felt that the term “Project” in Jira was just… wrong. A project, by definition, should have a clear start, a finish, and a defined goal. An end. But that’s not how most of us use them in Jira. They’re ongoing containers for a team’s work, a product’s backlog, or a service desk’s queue. They’re containers, not projects. This new terminology makes a lot more sense to me.

TL;DR Takeaways

Atlassian is renaming Jira “Projects” to “Spaces” to better reflect their function.
The change aims to create consistency with other Atlassian tools like Confluence, which already uses “Spaces.”
This is a semantic change; all the functionality you’re used to will remain the same.
It helps distinguish these ongoing work containers from the newer, time-bound “Atlassian Projects” feature.

What’s in a Name?

Words matter. Calling these containers “Projects” has always just been wrong, but it was the industry standard so I didnt quesiton it too much. But, once again, time proves that I was right all along!

For me, a “project” is something with a defined scope and a deadline, like “Launch the new marketing website by Q3.” This isn’t just my opinion; it aligns with the official definition from the Project Management Institute (PMI), which defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.” A Jira “Project,” on the other hand, was more “The Marketing Team’s Never-Ending To-Do List.” By renaming them to “Spaces,” Atlassian is aligning the terminology with the reality of how the tool is used. It’s a space for work to happen, continuously.

The Official Word and Community Buzz

According to Atlassian, this change is all about reducing confusion and creating a more consistent experience across their platform. With the introduction of the newer “Atlassian Projects” feature (which are for time-bound, goal-oriented work), the distinction became even more important. Now, you have “Spaces” for continuous work and “Projects” for, well, actual projects.

From what I’ve seen, the community reaction has been… mixed. While some long-time users and admins are relieved to finally see this change, there’s been some pushback as well, more than I would have expected but I think it’s still relatively small.

What Changes for You

UI language shifts to “Spaces” across Jira; labels/help text update accordingly.
JQL, REST APIs, webhooks, permissions, and automations continue to work; no breaking changes expected.
No toggle to keep “Projects” wording; plan to refresh training, onboarding guides, and internal documentation.
Expect some ambiguity with Confluence; use explicit phrasing like “Jira Space” vs “Confluence Space” in docs and Slack messages during the transition.

The Pushback

Look, I get it. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this change, and there are some legitimate concerns worth addressing.

The Confluence Confusion Problem: This is probably the most valid criticism. Now we have “Confluence Spaces” and “Jira Spaces,” which could actually make things more confusing. When someone says “check the Marketing space,” you’ll need to ask “Jira or Confluence?” It’s a fair point, and honestly, I don’t have a great counter-argument for it. Atlassian is betting that the context will usually make it clear, but time will tell if that’s true. Tip: be explicit in docs and chat—say “Jira Space” or “Confluence Space” for a while.

No Opt-Out Option: After something like 20 years of calling them “Projects,” being forced to switch terminology is frustrating for some admins. There’s no way to keep the old terminology, which means updating training materials, documentation, and fighting against years of muscle memory. For trainers and consultants especially, this creates real work with no clear benefit to them.

Skepticism About Motives: Some users suspect this is less about clarity and more about making it easier to bundle and cross-sell Jira and Confluence together. While I’m generally less cynical about Atlassian’s intentions, I can see why this timing (along with the Teamwork Collection push) might raise eyebrows.

“Project” Wasn’t Actually That Confusing: This is the counterargument I’ve seen pop up a lot. Some users argue that “project” is already a well-established and commonly understood term among all stakeholders, and the supposed confusion Atlassian is trying to solve wasn’t really a major problem in practice. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Most project management software tends to follow the same “incorrect” usage of the term “project” (and there’s the argument that if everyone is using something a certain way, then isn’t that, in fact, the correct way?).

Despite these concerns, I still think the change is net positive. Yes, there will be an adjustment period. Yes, the Confluence/Jira Space distinction could cause some confusion. But in the long run, having terminology that better matches what the thing actually does is worth the short-term pain. At least, that’s my take.

Final Thoughts

This is more than just a simple find-and-replace. It’s a conceptual shift that makes the entire Atlassian ecosystem more intuitive. It lowers the barrier to entry for new users and eliminates a piece of confusing jargon that we’ve all had to explain away for years.

It’s a small change, but I personally think it’s a smart one. It shows Atlassian is listening and is willing to refine even its most fundamental concepts to build a more coherent “System of Work.” Kudos to them for finally making the switch.