Azure DevOps for Project Management(Agile)
Learn how Azure DevOps can help streamline your project planning, development, and delivery. This training course is tailored for project managers and provides essential skills for efficient and effective project management. Azure Boards, a key component of Azure DevOps, offers an intuitive, flexible platform designed to support the dynamic needs of Agile teams, from small startups to large enterprises.
- Agile Setup: Azure Boards simplifies the Agile setup process, allowing teams to customize their workflows, boards, and card styles to reflect their specific Agile methodology, whether it’s Scrum, Kanban, or a hybrid approach.
- Team Setup: It provides a seamless experience for setting up teams, defining roles, and assigning permissions, ensuring every team member has the right tools and access to contribute effectively to the project.
- Portfolio Backlog: The platform supports a hierarchical work item organization, enabling project managers to create and manage portfolio backlogs. This feature allows for grouping large initiatives into epics and features, offering a clear view of strategic objectives and their alignment with team-level activities.
- Sprint Capacity: Azure Boards facilitates detailed sprint planning with its sprint capacity planning tools. Teams can estimate efforts, define each team member's capacities, and track real-time progress, ensuring sprints are realistically planned and efficiently executed.
- Forecasting: The platform’s tools allow teams to predict future sprint workloads based on historical velocity and capacity data. This aids in making informed decisions about what can be achieved in upcoming sprints, helping to manage stakeholders’ expectations and plan for future releases more accurately.
Create an Azure DevOps Project
Prerequisites:
An Azure DevOps account, an Azure DevOps organization (from Task 1 and Task 2)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1.Sign in to your Azure DevOps account.
2.Select your organization.
3.Click on the “New project” button.
4.Enter a name for your project.
5.Choose the ”Agile” process template.
6.Click on the “Create” button.Your project with the Agile Process Template is now created
Create a new Team and add a new
Prerequisites:
An Azure DevOps account, an Azure DevOps organisation (from Task 2)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1.Go to your Organization
2.Click on “Project Settings”.
3.Under the General menu, click on the “Teams” menu.
4.Click on the “New Team” button.
5.Enter all Team details such as Name, Description, Member(s), Admin(s), and Permissions.
6.Click the “Create” button to proceed.
7.Add new domain user to ADO Team’s user.
8.Add a new external user to the ADO team.
9.Change new member permissions.
Create a Portfolio Backlog: Epics, Features, User Story, & Tasks
Prerequisites:
An Azure DevOps account, an Azure DevOps organisation (from Task 2)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1.Create Portfolio Backlogs
2.Create Epic(s)
3.Create Feature(s)
4.Create User Story(s)
5.Create Task(s)
6.Import Work Items from CSV File.
7.Assigning Task to User Story(s)
Upload CSV File for Epics, Features, User Story, & Tasks
Prerequisites:
An Azure DevOps account, an Azure DevOps organisation (from Task 2)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1.Import Work Items from CSV File.
2.Assigning Task to User Story(s)
Update Sprint Iterations
Prerequisites:
An Azure DevOps account, an Azure DevOps organisation (from Task 2)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1.Update Project Settings
2.Update the Iteration/Sprint dates.
3.Mapping User Story to Iteration/Sprint.
Team Capacity
Prerequisites:
An Azure DevOps account, an Azure DevOps organisation (from Task 2)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1.Update the Team’s members’ capacity.
2.Update the Team’s members’ Days Off
3.Update the Team’s Days Off.
Forecasting The Future Using Velocity
Prerequisites:
An Azure DevOps account, an Azure DevOps organisation (from Task 2)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1.Update the View option to Forecasting mode.2.Update User Story with Story Point3.Predict the future by using Forecasting in Backlogs page.
Conclusion
In conclusion, leveraging Azure Boards for Agile setup, team setup, portfolio backlog management, sprint capacity planning, and forecasting can profoundly impact the success of Agile projects. It enhances the efficiency and productivity of teams and ensures that project delivery is aligned with business goals and customer needs. By embracing these features, project managers can foster a culture of transparency, adaptability, and continuous improvement, driving their teams towards Agile excellence.
Let’s Connect!
Interested in elevating your team’s agility and mastering Azure DevOps? Our journey doesn’t have to end here. My team and I specialize in transforming software development processes and integrating Agile frameworks with Azure DevOps to streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and accelerate delivery. Whether you’re looking to adopt Agile for the first time, optimize your existing workflows, or leverage the full power of Azure DevOps, we’re here to guide you. Connect with us to explore how our professional services can tailor a solution that propels your projects forward, ensuring your development practices are current and leading edge.
Are you curious about taking your Agile and Azure DevOps practices to the next level? Don’t navigate the complexities of software development alone. Our expertise lies in providing bespoke consulting and implementation services that fuse Agile methodologies with Azure DevOps, creating a seamless, productive environment for your teams. Reach out to discuss how we can partner to refine your processes, overcome challenges, and achieve exceptional results. Let’s unlock the potential of your development efforts together.
Najib Radzuan
Senior Manager DevOps
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