1. Visual Studio Team Foundation Server
Process Templates
Deepak Chitnis
NYC VSTS User Group
April 2009

2. Agenda TFS ALM Toolset Process Templates – Why, What, How
Demo 1 – Setting up a Team Project using a modified template
Components of Process Template
Process Template Editor
Work Item Type
Global List
Demo 2 – On boarding Support Process
Questions & Answers

3. TFS ALM Toolset

4. Why
What
How
Process Templates

5. Process Templates - Why
TFS is designed to be scalable to a variety of processes
Out of the Box templates
MSF for Agile Software Development
MSF for CMMI® Process Improvement
3rd Party
Scrum
RUP
eXtreme Programming
TFS is configurable and customizable
TFS is extensible

6. Process Templates - What
XML Configuration files
Work Item Types
Work Item Queries
Initial Work Items
Report Definition
Sharepoint Project Portal Definition
Version Control Settings
Groups & Permissions
Areas & Iterations
Process Guidance
Reports (SQL Reporting Services)

7. Process Templates - How
TFS supports downloading & uploading of process templates
Command line tools to export & import work item type definitions
Modification/Creation is possible using a text editor to edit XML files
Process Template Editor
Editing Work Item Type
Guidance Generation Tool

8. Demo 1 Downloading an out of the box template
Visualizing the files that make up the process template
Making changes in the template using Notepad
Uploading the changed template
Setting up a Team Project using the changed template
Using the Process Template Editor to view the different components

9. On boarding Support PROCESS
What do we need?
On boarding Support PROCESS

10. What do we need?
A work item type ‘Service Request’ so that these can be tracked in TFS
An associated work flow so that the progress on the request can be tracked
A way for Support personnel to track these requests – Team System Web Access can be used for this purpose
A tool for Users to submit requests – Work Item Web Access serves this purpose

11. Components of Work Item Type
Fields
Layout
Workflow
Components of Work Item Type

12. Work Item Type Fields Categories of Fields Types of Fields Rules
System
VSTS Specific
User Defined
Types of Fields
String, Integer, Double, DateTime
Plaintext, HTML, Treepath, History
Rules
Default, AllowedValues, ProhibitedValues

13. Work Item Layout Group Column Tab Group Controls Label Margin Padding
FixedWidth
PercentWidth
Tab Group
Tab Page (has same properties as Group)
Controls
Label
Field name
Type
Positioning Properties

14. Work Item Workflow
Transition
Reason
Action
Fields, Rules
State

15. Demo 2
We will setup a ‘Service Request’ work item type based on ‘Task’
Export the existing ‘Task’ work item
Add a custom field, so that we can enter text with formatting
Change the layout so that the detail fields are not in the tab
Change the workflow so that, there is a ‘Proposed’ state prior to ‘Active’ and we can Transition from ‘Proposed’ to ‘Active’ by Reason of approval else will transition to ‘Closed’ for Reason of ‘Denied’
Import the ‘Service Request’ work item type
Create a Service Request

16. Questions and Answers Don’t forget to fill out the survey forms
This presentation will be posted on my blog (coming soon)
The NYC VSTS User Group website
Process Template resources
Microsoft’s Process Templates Home Page us/teamsystem/aa aspx