Culture Amp – CMDB schema and relationship model (Jira)

Overview

Designed a CMDB schema and reporting model in Jira to replace spreadsheet based asset tracking with a single, consistent repository of configuration data. The work focused on defining what should be tracked, how it relates, and how it can be reported on reliably.

Platform: Jira · Focus: CMDB schema design and reporting model · Engagement: Discovery workshops plus schema design and implementation handover

The situation

Configuration data was being managed across spreadsheets, which made it hard to keep information consistent, link related items, or produce reliable reporting. The aim was to move to a single repository with clear structure and governance so the data could support operational visibility and reporting needs.

What I delivered

  • Designed a CMDB schema aligned to best practice CI classes and relationship patterns
  • Defined modelling rules for consistent CI creation, ownership and relationship usage
  • Created a reporting friendly attribute set based on what the client needed to track and measure
  • Provided an implementation handover pack and worked with a developer to complete the build

Approach

  • Ran working sessions to review existing spreadsheets and identify the key data to keep, simplify, or retire
  • Used a structured template with the client to confirm the tracking model and required attributes
  • Validated the model through example scenarios to ensure it captured the data needed for reporting
  • Translated the agreed scope into a practical schema design that was implementable in Jira

Outcomes

  • A single repository replaced spreadsheet based CI tracking
  • Clear CI classes and relationship patterns improved consistency and reporting quality
  • A defined scope and tracking model reduced ambiguity and rework during implementation

Key decisions and design choices

  • Kept the schema lean so teams could maintain it without ongoing specialist effort
  • Standardised relationship patterns to support reporting and future impact style views
  • Designed the data model around measurable reporting needs, not maximum granularity

What this enabled next

  • A foundation for consistent governance and ownership of configuration data
  • Improved reporting and visibility across key configuration items and their relationships
  • A scalable model that could be extended over time without reverting to spreadsheets

Tools and capabilities

Jira Assets schema design, CI class and relationship modelling, Data model and attribute design for reporting, Workshop facilitation and scope definition, Implementation handover and build support with a developer.

If you’re tackling something similar

If you are relying on spreadsheets to track configuration items and it is becoming hard to maintain or report on, I can help you define a lean tracking model and implement a single repository in Jira or ServiceNow that supports governance and reporting from day one.

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