1. Milen Petrov Griffin Ltd.
MSF 4.0 in 60-minutes
Session Abstract
It is exciting times for Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF). With the Visual Studio team adopting MSF and creating Visual Studio 2005 Team System (VSTS), MSF now has an enhanced foundation (i.e., code-named MSFv4 Core) plus MSF is now embedded within VSTS enabling process automation and guidance. This creates an opportunity to mature solution delivery capabilities throughout the market. Not only does VSTS/MSFv4 extend MSFv3, but it also introduces two specializations: MSF for Agile Software Development and MSF for CMMI Process Improvement. This session will share with you an overview of MSFv4 Core and MSF Agile.
Milen Petrov
Griffin Ltd.

2. MSF for Agile Software Development Extending VSTS Templates Q&A
Agenda
Motivation
Where MSF fits in SDLC
What’s New in MSF v4.0
MSF for Agile Software Development
Extending VSTS Templates
Q&A
The goal of this presentation is to quickly acclimate you with the various pieces and parts of MSF and how they relate to each other.
MSF, the course offering, has grown to much more than courseware. It is not very integrated into the tooling provided by Visual Studio.
You will have a lot to learn… hopefully this presentation will help you get started.
Goal: A quick fly-by of what’s new… so that you can explore the details at a later time.

3. MSF for Agile Software Development Extending VSTS Templates Q&A
Agenda
Motivation
Where MSF fits in SDLC
What’s New in MSF v4.0
MSF for Agile Software Development
Extending VSTS Templates
Q&A
Main message of this section: What problem is MSF v4.0 trying to solve?

4. A Brief History MSF Offering 1994 1995 1997 1999 2002 2005-06 21 Rules
“Dynamics”
Solutions Dev Discipline (SDD)
MSF v2
Principles of … App Dev (PAD) Infra Deploy (PID) Ent Arch (PEA) Comp Des (PCD)
MSF v2.5
MSF v3
Essentials + Exam
Core Agile CMMI …
MSF v4
MSF Offering
MSF v1
MSF was born out of a movement to capture and share best practices in the industry of software engineering.
That mission has not changed.
What has changed is the scope and impact of MSF.
MSF v4.0 specifically is a very important transition from pure “framework”, to “framework” and “methodology”.
MSF v4.0 “the framework” can apply to just about any methodology, including SCRUM, RUP, etc.
However MSF v4.0 specifically calls attention to two very important methodologies, arguably at opposite ends of the formality spectrum, “Agile” and “CMMI”.

5. Why Can’t Process Help Productivity?
Framework
Methodology
Complete
Sufficient
Rules
Guidelines
MSF v4.0’s focus area is to address a critical problem: The seeming conflict between process discipline and productivity.
Productive
Predictable
Repeatable

6. Process & Tools Integration
enacts
Visual Studio 2005 Team System
Microsoft Solutions Framework
guides
How VSTS enables MSF?
Productivity tools & processes
Integrated tools & processes
Extensible tools & processes
So what type of architecture is needed to join Productivity with Process Discipine?
MSF is the guidance infrastructure.
Visual Studio is the tooling infrastructure.

7. MSF for Agile Software Development Extending VSTS Templates Q&A
Agenda
Motivation
Where MSF fits in SDLC
What’s New in MSF v4.0
MSF for Agile Software Development
Extending VSTS Templates
Q&A
Main message of this section: How does MSF the “framework” fit with Visual Studio the “tooling”.

8. Framework Methodology
MSFv4 Family Tree
Framework
MSFv4 Core
Discipline
Application Development
Infrastructure
Family
MSF for Agile Software Development
MSF for CMMI® Process Improvement
MSF v4 has three major components:
MSFv4 “Core”
MSF for Agile Software Development
MSF for CMMI Process Improvement.
Product
(instantiated)
Methodology

9. Content Relationship MSF v4 CMMI Infrastructure Agile MSF v3
MSFv4 “Core”
Discipline
Application Development
Infrastructure
Family
MSF for Agile Software Development
MSF for CMMI® Process Improvement
Product
MSF v4
CMMI
Infrastructure
Build Slide
Build 0: Application Development
MSF v4 is an expansion of MSF v3, as well as the more detailed application of MSF to two methodologies, Agile and CMMI.
“Agile” is a methodology you would choose when you want to be “light weight” in methodology. This is appropriate for smaller and less complex projects.
“CMMI” is a methodology you would choose when you are more “formal” in methodology. CMMI supports the most complex projects, from both a social and engineering perspective.
Build 1: Infrastructure
The principles of MSF can also be used for non-application development types of projects, such as Infrastructure projects.
MSF 4.0 lays the foundation for a more explicit inclusion in this area. No doubt an MSF v5.0 investment area…
Agile
MSF v3

10. Continuum of Methodologies
Note: MSF is not specifically “competition” with any specific methodology or tooling. This is a frequent point of confusion. This Giga Research chart exemplifies this very well, calling “MSDN” a methodology.
In addition to Microsoft releasing two implementations of MSF, Agile and CMMI, other companies are releasing implementations of XP, Scrum, even RUP.

11. MSF for Agile Software Development Extending VSTS Templates Q&A
Agenda
Motivation
Where MSF fits in SDLC
What’s New in MSF v4.0
MSF for Agile Software Development
Extending VSTS Templates
Q&A
Main message of this section: Changes to MSF v4.0, the “guidance” portion of MSF

12. What is MSFv4?
A set of foundational principles, mindsets and proven practices with an adaptable framework for successfully delivering solutions faster, requiring fewer people, and involving less risk, while enabling higher quality results.
Models
Team Model
Governance Model
MSF 3.0’s organization as a collection of principles, proven practices, etc. is successful.
MSF 4.0 continues with this organization of models, expanding in some areas, refining in others.
Disciplines
Project Management Discipline
Risk Management Discipline
Readiness Management Discipline

13. Principles Mindsets Proven Practices Key Concepts  Mindsets
Fundamentals
Principles
Mindsets
Key Concepts  Mindsets
Proven Practices
MSF 4.0 makes a subtle shift in fundamentals.
MSF V3 Principles
Foster open communications
Work toward a shared vision
Empower team members
Establish clear accountability and shared responsibility
Focus on delivering business value
Stay agile, expect change
Invest in quality
Learn from all experiences
MSF V4 Principles
Partner with customers
Quality is everyone’s business, every day
Stay agile, adapt to change
Make deployment a habit
Flow of value
Mindsets
Qualify id defined by customer
Pride of workmanship
Team of peers
Frequent delivery
Willingness to learn
Get specific early
Qualities of service
Citizenship

14. Requirements Prioritization
Planning
Risk Analysis
Scheduling Process
Stakeholder Analysis
Readiness Management
Requirements Prioritization
Simple
Kano Analysis
MSF has refined governance activities.
Requirements Prioritization is an important addition.

15. Team Model Advocacy Groupings New: Architecture Release Operations
Was: Role Clusters
New: Architecture
Responsibilities pulled from Proj Mgmt and Dev
Release Operations
Was: Release Mgmt
More functional areas in each advocacy group
The team model remains conceptually the same – it is a team of peers, not an organizational hierarchy.
However in order to even more explicitly widen the gap between “principle” and “org-chart”, what was formerly “role clusters” is now called “advocacys”.
A new advocacy has been added: Architecture. It was formerly represented primarily by Program Management and Development.

16. Governance Capacity Governance Capacity Governance Model
Which projects should we do?
Which features?
How much capacity to allocate?
How is value delivered?
Capacity
Enactment
Measurable productivity
Manageable delivery
How to improve?
Governance
Capacity
The concept of “Governance” has been wrapped around the capacity to deliver projects.
This is very important:
Governance is a process – something that is ongoing and never ends
Solution delivery is a project – with an explicit beginning and end
Activities that occur to support governance include determining exactly when the project will start, and what it will do.
Once the project starts, the efficiency of the project team drives the delivery capacity of an organization. The more productive they are, the more capacity an organization has, and the more projects they can accomplish per unit cost.

17. Process Model Deploy Envision Release 1 Stabilize Plan Build
Phases  Tracks
Develop Track  Build Track
Milestones  Checkpoints
Deploy
Envision
Release 1
Stabilize
The process model has been “fuzzified” – to draw particular attention to the notion that this is a “model”, not a “project plan”.
Milestones, a project plan concept, have been renamed to “checkpoints”.
Plan
Build

18. Minimize risks by breaking large projects into multiple versions
Iterative Approach
Minimize risks by breaking large projects into multiple versions
Risk
Solution Completion
Knowledge
The concept of a “rhythm of development” is more explicit. Some rhythms are “in the project”, others are at the “program” level.
Time

19. MSF Envision Track Envision Deliverables Goals Vision/scope document
Project structure document
Initial risk assessment document
Core Team Organized
Envision
Vision/Scope Baselined
Vision/Scope Approved
The Envisioning track conceptually is unchanged – it has been clarified with more explicit descriptions of deliverables and goals.
Goals
Develop a clear understanding of what is needed within context of project constraints
Assemble necessary team to envisage solution with options and approaches that best meet those needs while optimally satisfying those constraints

20. MSF Plan Track Deliverables Plan Goal Functional specifications
Master project plan
Master project schedule
Technology Validation Complete
Functional Specification Baselined
Plan
Master Project Plan Baselined
Master Project Schedule Baselined
Supporting Environments Set Up
Project Plans Approved
The Planning track is conceptually the same.
Goal
Evolve conceptual solution into tangible designs and plans so it can be build in the developing track
Find out as much information as possible, as early as possible
Know when you have enough information to move forward

21. MSF Build Track Deliverables Build Goal Completed Solution
Training materials
Documentation
Marketing materials
Updated master plan, schedule and risk document
Scope Complete
Proof of Concept Complete
Build
Internal Release 1
Internal Release 2
Internal Release n
Goal
Build various aspects of the solution in accordance with plan track deliverables (e.g., designs, plans, requirements)
Develop solution features and components, complete deliverables and other elements of the solution
Test the various aspects of the solution to assess the state of quality of the solution
The Build track, formerly the “Develop” phase, is conceptually the same.
However it now more explicitly includes activities that occur outside of the “developer” role. Such as marketing, training, etc.

22. Testing is not just for testers
Testing the Solution
Goal
Expose issues, uncover design flaws and identify unexpected behavior
Role of testing:
Proactive: Leads build effort (e.g., test-driven development)
Supportive: Follows build effort (e.g., design a little, build a little, test a little)
Testing is not just for testers
Can be performed by anyone helping improve the completeness and/or quality of work item deliverables
Testing is an important area. In fact some methodologies call for “Test Driven Development”, and important part of the Agile process.
Two distinct roles are called out: Proactive and Supportive.

23. Deliverables Goals MSF Stabilize Track Pilot review
Release Readiness Approved
Deliverables
Pilot review
Release-ready versions of solution and accompanying collateral
Testing and bug reports
Project documents
Release Candidate n
Pilot Complete
User Acceptance Testing Complete
Release Candidate 1
Pre-Production Testing Complete
System Testing Complete
Stabilize
nth Functional Testing Pass Complete
Issue Log Cleared
User Interface Stabilized
Issue Convergence
Goals
Improve solution quality to meet release criteria for deployment to production
Validate solution meets stakeholder needs and expectations
Validate solution usability from a user perspective
Maximize success and minimize risks associated with solution deployment and operations in its target environment(s)
1st Functional Testing Pass Complete
The Stabilize track moves away from a focus on “test” and more towards a focus on “convergence”.
As one program manager at Microsoft likes to say, “Software doesn’t release… it escapes!”
Stabilization strives to create the conditions which allow the solution to escape into production.

24. MSF Deploy Track Deliverables Deploy Goals
Operations and support information systems
Revised processes and procedures
Repository of all solution collateral
Deployment Stabilized
Site Deployments Complete
Deployment Complete
Core Solution Components Deployed
Deploy
Goals
Place solution into production at designated environment(s)
Facilitate smooth transfer of solution from project team to operations team as soon as possible
The Deployment track, added in MSF 3.0, is conceptually the same.

25. Governance Track Repackaged Deliverables Goals Status reports
Customer/user satisfaction data
Final versions of all project documents
Project closeout report
Customer Acceptance
Operations Acceptance
User Acceptance
Goals
Secure approval from:
Users that the solution meets their needs and is sufficiently usable
Operations that the solution is ready to deploy
Customer that the project is complete
Optimize and continuously improve team performance and throughput, solution quality and process improvement
Wrapping the entire “Project” is a Governance “Process”, which is a critical mechanism which allows new projects to start, and more importantly, existing projects to reschedule functionality into a future release.

26. MSF for Agile Software Development Extending VSTS Templates Q&A
Agenda
Motivation
Where MSF fits in SDLC
What’s New in MSF v4.0
MSF for Agile Software Development
Extending VSTS Templates
Q&A
Main message of this section: Agile is a methodology that has tooling support in Visual Studio.

27. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Agile Manifesto
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Agile is a grass-roots movement to improving the discipline of software engineering. These are the core tenets.
Choose Agile when formality is not critcial.

28. Time Box = Time limit in which to complete an iteration
Time-Boxed Iteration
Time Box = Time limit in which to complete an iteration
How
Reduce functionality
Reschedule features
Agile prioritizes schedule over features. Each iteration adds incremental features.

29. Personas On-site Customer Persona Actor
“Personas” are an important concept that have been used in Microsoft for quite some time. They are a compromise between the overly formal Use Case Modeling, and the overly informal Extreme Programming customer involvement.
Actor

30. Scenarios Working Software Scenarios Personas Review Refine
Agile software development is a scenario-driven software development process.
A scenario records a single path of a persona interaction through the system in order to reach a goal.
Real Customers

31. The Agile Pattern Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3 Scenario 4
Iteration 1
Scenario List
Scenario 1
Scenario 2
In MSF Agile – a scenario is a major work item. Each iteration of development implements a specific list of scenarios to some degree of functionality.
Scenario 3
Iteration Plan

32. Requirements Prioritization (Kano Model)
Minimum
Acceptance
Level
Description Developed in the 80's by Professor Noriaki Kano, the model is based on the concepts of customer quality and provides a simple ranking scheme which distinguishes between essential and differentiating attributes. The model is a powerful way of visualising product characteristics and stimulating debate within the design team. Kano also produced a rigorous methodology for mapping consumer responses onto the model. Product characteristics can be classified as:
Threshold / Basic attributes Attributes which must be present in order for the product to be successful, can be viewed as a 'price of entry'. However, the customer will remain neutral towards the product even with improved execution of these aspects.
One dimensional attributes (Performance / Linear) These characteristics are directly correlated to customer satisfaction. Increased functionality or quality of execution will result in increased customer satisfaction. Conversely, decreased functionality results in greater dissatisfaction. Product price is often related to these attributes.
Attractive attributes (Exciters / Delighters) Customers get great satisfaction from a feature - and are willing to pay a price premium. However, satisfaction will not decrease (below neutral) if the product lacks the feature. These features are often unexpected by customers and they can be difficult to establish as needs up front. Sometimes called unknown or latent needs.
Product differentiation can either be gained by a high level of execution of the linear attributes or the inclusion of one or more 'delighter' features. But, it should be remembered that customer expectations change over time, and a cup holder in a car may be today's delighter, but tomorrow it will be expected. Some users of Kano also suggest that an additional set of attributes can be classified as 'enragers' - features which enrage either through their absence or inclusion.
Iteration 3
Iteration 2
Iteration 1

33. Visual Studio Team System
Visual Studio Team System implements MSF Agile by providing the constructs for “Scenarios” and other Agile work items.
The Team Explorer enables you to manage the work items associated with the project.

34. Using VSTS Agile : Team Explorer Window
After an Agile Team Project is created, the menu allow you to add the various work items.
Bug
Task
Scenario
QOS Requirement

35. Using VSTS Agile : Sample Report
Tracking the aggregate status of scenarios enables you to take a measure of the health of your project (if it is converging), and forecast how much work remains.

36. MSF for Agile Software Development Extending VSTS Templates Q&A
Agenda
Motivation
Where MSF fits in SDLC
What’s New in MSF v4.0
MSF for Agile Software Development
Extending VSTS Templates
Q&A
Main message of this section: You can customize the methodology templates that ship with Visual Studio Team System, or build your own.

37. VSTS Template Key Concepts
Role
Work Item
States and Transitions
Fields
Process Guidance
Work Streams
Groups of activities that flow logically together
Often associated with a particular role
Activities
Described using EVTX format
These are the building blocks of a VSTS template.
Role
Work Item
Process Guidance

38. Project Manager Business Analyst Architect Developer Tester
MSF Agile Roles
Project Manager
Business Analyst
Architect
Developer
Tester
Release Manager
For example, Agile defines the following roles.
The diagram on the right show the relationship of the roles to their advocacy groups.

39. MSF Agile Workstreams Capture Product Vision Create a Scenario
Create a Quality of Service Requirement
Plan an Iteration
Create Solution Architecture
Implement a Development Task
Build a Product
Test a Scenario
Test a Quality of Service Requirement
Fix a Bug
Close a Bug
Release a Product
Guide Project
Examples of Workstreams. These workstreams are for MSF Agile.

40. MSF Agile “Scenario” : States & Transitions
Active
Resolved
Closed
Transitions
Completed
Test Failed
Reactivated
Split
etc.
Example of a Work Item, which contains States and Transitions.
This example shows the MSF Agile “Scenario” work item.

41. MSF Agile “Scenario” : Fields
Work Items also have Fields. Some of MSF Agile “Scenario” fields are listed here.

42. MSF Agile “Scenario” : Activities
Business Analyst
Develop lifestyle snapshot
Brainstorm scenarios
Project Manager
Divide scenarios into tasks
Developer
Integrate code changes
Tester
Write validation tests
Select and run a test case
The state that a work item is in defines which activities can occur, and who can perform the activity.

43. MSF Agile “Scenario” : Workstreams
Role: Developer
Workstream: Fix a Bug
This activity affects the Scenario work item.
From a role’s perspective, a workstream is a series of activities that accomplish a particular goal.

44. Process Template Manager
Work items
Work item instances
Reports
Security groups
Project portal
Documents / templates
Source control settings
Process guidance content
Iteration structure
Entry criteria and exit criteria views
Source check-in policies
The VSTS Process Template Manager allows you to Export and Import templates.
This is the mechanism you would use to customize a process.

45. MSF for Agile Software Development Extending VSTS Templates Q&A
Agenda
Motivation
Where MSF fits in SDLC
What’s New in MSF v4.0
MSF for Agile Software Development
Extending VSTS Templates
Q&A

46. Recommended book for learning more about MSF for Agile Software Development.

47. Stay Active In Your Local .NET Community!! MSF Home Page
For More Information
Stay Active In Your Local .NET Community!!
MSF Home Page
Randy Miller’s Blog (Agile)
Rob Caron’s Blog (VSTS)
SCRUM
VSTS plug-in available from Conchango
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
Microsoft Services QuickPlan for Team-Based Software Development