What is Azure DevOps?
Azure DevOps is Microsoft's comprehensive suite of development tools that covers the entire application lifecycle. From project planning and source control to build automation and deployment, Azure DevOps provides integrated services that help teams deliver software faster and with higher quality. official Azure DevOps documentation.
Azure DevOps Services
- Azure Boards: Agile planning, work tracking, and visualization
- Azure Repos: Git repositories for source control
- Azure Pipelines: CI/CD automation for any platform
- Azure Test Plans: Manual and exploratory testing tools
- Azure Artifacts: Package management for Maven, npm, NuGet
Azure Boards for Project Management
Azure Boards provides powerful tools for agile project management, supporting Scrum, Kanban, and custom processes.
Work Item Types
Azure Boards uses a hierarchy of work items to organize project work:
- Epics: Large bodies of work spanning multiple sprints or releases
- Features: Functional capabilities delivered to end users
- User Stories/Product Backlog Items: Individual requirements from user perspective
- Tasks: Specific work items needed to complete a story
- Bugs: Defects requiring fixes
Backlogs and Boards
Manage your work through multiple views:
Product Backlog
- Prioritized list of all product requirements
- Drag-and-drop reordering
- Forecasting based on team velocity
- Parent-child relationships with epics/features
Sprint Backlog
- Work committed for current iteration
- Capacity planning and workload balancing
- Burndown charts for progress tracking
- Task board for daily standups
Kanban Board
- Visual workflow management
- Customizable columns and swimlanes
- WIP limits to prevent overload
- Cumulative flow diagrams
Agile Process Templates
Scrum
The Scrum template is ideal for teams practicing iterative development:
- Sprint planning with capacity management
- Product Backlog Items (PBIs) as primary work items
- Sprint retrospectives and velocity tracking
- Definition of Done checklists
Kanban
The Agile template with Kanban boards suits continuous delivery teams:
- Flow-based work management
- Work-in-progress limits per column
- Lead time and cycle time metrics
- Continuous improvement focus
CMMI
The CMMI template supports formal change management:
- Requirements and change requests
- Formal review and approval workflows
- Risk and issue tracking
- Compliance documentation
Queries and Reporting
Work Item Queries
Create powerful queries to find and track work:
// Example: Find all bugs assigned to me in current sprint Work Item Type = Bug AND Assigned To = @Me AND Iteration Path Under @CurrentIteration AND State <> Closed // Example: Features without child items Work Item Type = Feature AND [System.Links.LinkType] <> Child AND State = Active
Dashboards
Build custom dashboards with widgets for:
- Sprint burndown and velocity charts
- Query results and work item counts
- Build and release status
- Test results and code coverage
- Custom charts and markdown content
Analytics and Power BI
Connect Azure DevOps to Power BI for advanced reporting:
- Analytics views for OData queries
- Pre-built Power BI templates
- Custom reports across projects
- Historical trend analysis
Dynamics 365 Project Management
Azure DevOps is ideal for managing Dynamics 365 implementation projects:
Solution Development Tracking
- Track customizations as Features (entities, forms, views)
- User Stories for specific requirements
- Tasks for development work (plugins, workflows, web resources)
- Link work items to code commits and pull requests
Release Planning
- Epics for major releases or phases
- Features for solution components
- Delivery plans for cross-team coordination
- Dependencies between workstreams
Integration Testing
- Test Plans for system and UAT testing
- Test Cases linked to requirements
- Bug tracking with repro steps
- Test execution reports for go/no-go decisions
Team Collaboration
Team Configuration
- Define team areas and iteration paths
- Set team capacity and working days
- Configure team-specific boards and backlogs
- Manage team notifications
Cross-Team Coordination
- Delivery Plans for multi-team roadmaps
- Dependencies and predecessor links
- Portfolio backlogs for program management
- Shared queries across teams
Microsoft Teams Integration
Azure DevOps integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams:
- Add Azure Boards tabs to Teams channels
- Receive notifications for work item updates
- Create work items from Teams conversations
- Link discussions to work items
Best Practices
Work Item Management
- Keep work items small and estimable
- Use acceptance criteria for clarity
- Link related items (parent-child, related)
- Update status daily for accurate reporting
- Close completed items promptly
Sprint Planning
- Set realistic capacity accounting for meetings
- Break stories into tasks of 4-8 hours
- Don't overcommit - respect velocity
- Reserve time for technical debt
- Include bug fixes in sprint scope
Process Customization
- Add custom fields sparingly
- Use tags for flexible categorization
- Customize states to match your workflow
- Create templates for common work items
Conclusion
Azure DevOps provides a comprehensive project management solution that integrates planning, development, and delivery into a single platform. For Dynamics 365 projects, it offers the flexibility to support various methodologies while maintaining traceability from requirements through deployment. Whether you're running Scrum sprints or managing continuous delivery, Azure DevOps Boards adapts to your team's workflow.