Visual Studio Scrum process template for Visual Studio ALM

Using the work item types (WITs), reports, and dashboards shown in the illustration, teams can plan projects, then track, view, and report their progress. These artifacts are created when you create a team project using the Visual Studio Scrum process template.

The latest version of the Scrum process template is automatically uploaded to Team Foundation Server (TFS) when you install or upgrade to the latest version of TFS. Use the Process Template Manager to download and upload process templates.

In addition to WITs, reports, and dashboards, teams have access to a set of shared work item queries that your team can use to track information, analyze progress, and make decisions.

Plan and track work using work item types

Teams plan their project by capturing features and requirements as product backlog items (PBIs). They track bugs, work, and blocking issues using the bug, task, and impediment WITs. Features support a first level of portfolio management to view a rollup of PBIs across teams. For details about using these WITs, see Scrum process template work item types and workflow.

A work item is a TFS database record that contains the definition, assignment, priority, and state of work. Work item types define the template of fields, workflow, and form for each type. Work items can be linked to each other to support tracking dependencies, roll up of work, and reports.

Find work items using work item queries

To list work items for a current sprint or the product backlog, use the shared work item queries provided by the Scrum template.

You can open a query from the work items page and then use the query editor to apply different filter criteria. Also, you can add a query as a team query and it will appear on the team home page.

Tip

Queries listed under the Current Sprint folder do not automatically update when a new sprint becomes current. The current sprint is based on the dates that you assign to your sprint schedules. You must manually update the iteration path of each query to have it point to the iteration path that corresponds to the current sprint.

Monitor progress using reports

The Scrum process provides the following reports. For these reports to be useful, teams must perform certain activities, such as define build processes, link work items, and update status or remaining work.

Project management reports

• Backlog Overview

• Release Burndown

• Sprint Burndown

• Velocity

Build reports

• Build Success Over Time

• Build Summary

Test and bug reports

• Test Case Readiness

• Test Plan Progress

To access these reports, your team project collection must be configured with SQL Server Analysis Services and Reporting Services.

View progress using dashboards

Dashboards display project data, support investigation tasks, and help teams to perform common tasks quickly. The following dashboards support the display of Team Web Access parts for listing work items and reports built from in the Analysis Services cube.

• Release dashboard (Scrum)

To use dashboards, both a SharePoint server and a project portal must be configured for the team project.