Managing
Agile Projects using Microsoft Team Foundation Server 2015
Course
Description
This 3-day course provides Project managers, Scrum masters, and team leads the
essential skills required to effectively manage a software development project
using Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2015 or Visual Studio
Online.
This course focuses on agile methodologies and includes discussions and content
focused on both Scrum and Kanban practices.
In this
course, attendees will plan a new software development project and go through
the steps to initiate the project using Visual Studio 2015. This includes
recording requirements, creating a product backlog, and estimating effort for
backlog items. We ll cover planning and running a sprint, as well as using the
task board and burndown chart to track progress.
The
course also covers using storyboards to prototype experiences, requesting
stakeholder feedback, team collaboration, and reporting. The final two modules of
the course provide an overview of how testers and developers can work
effectively using appropriate tools in the Visual Studio family.
This
course includes hands-on labs to reinforce practical skills and ensure you re
ready to use the tools on your return to your workplace. All Scrum content
adheres to the latest version of the official Scrum Guide and provides helpful
preparation for anyone considering gaining Scrum certification.
Audience
This course is designed for project managers, business analysts, and team
leaders looking to effectively manage their development projects using either
Visual Studio Online or Team Foundation Server.
Prerequisites
Attendees should have some familiarity with Visual Studio and the basic use of
VSO/TFS.
Product
and Version Compatibility
- Team
Foundation Server or Visual Studio Online - This course is equally
applicable for teams using either Visual Studio Online or on-premises Team
Foundation Server.
- Previous
versions of Team Foundation Server - This course is suitable for attendees
currently using TFS 2013. Much of the course content will be directly
applicable to TFS 2013, especially later updates such as updates 3, 4, or
5.
Course
Objectives
At the completion of this course, attendees will be able to:
- Describe
the full feature set of Microsoft s Application Lifecycle Management suite
- Understand
how Work Item Tracking (WIT) can be used across the entire team
- Create
custom work item queries and work item charts
- Use
a variety of client tools to interact with team members
- Initiate
a new team project in either Visual Studio Online or TFS 2015
- Enter
requirements into Visual Studio Online or Team Foundation Server including
storyboards to illustrate requirements and experiences
- Use
the Kanban board to work with the product backlog
- Record
estimates in your requirement types
- Plan
and run a sprint including tracking progress using task boards and
burndown charts
- Understand
a number of the quality indicators available
- Use
dashboards to view appropriate groups of reports
- Record
team capacity and monitor a team s velocity
- Capture
quality feedback from stakeholders
- Configure
alerts and notifications for team members
- Understand
the out-of-the-box reports and what they can tell us about our project
- Create
ad hoc reports using Microsoft Excel
Course
Outline
Module
1: Introducing the Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Family
- What s
new in Visual Studio 2015
- Overview
of the Visual Studio 2015 family
- Overview
of product features
- A
lap around Visual Studio Online
- Project
workflow across the Visual Studio 2015 suite of products
Module
2: Initiating a New Project
- Organizing
projects in TFS or Visual Studio Online
- Understanding
process templates
- Creating
a new team project
- Setting
team project properties
- Switching
between team projects
Module
3: Work Item Primer
- Overview
of work items
- Traceability
between work items
- Creating
custom queries
- Work
item charting and pinning charts
- Work
item tagging
- Configuring
project alerts and notifications
Module
4: Creating Our Product Backlog
- Examining
requirement types
- Creating
backlog items
- Creating
requirement hierarchies using features
- The
importance of acceptance criteria
Module
5: Agile Estimation
- Introduction
to estimation
- Using
story points
- Planning
poker and other popular estimation techniques
- Adding
your estimates to TFS work items
Module
6: Working from the Product Backlog
- Introducing
the Kanban board
- Entering
and editing details on the Kanban board
- Customizing
columns, including using split columns and limiting WIP
- Recording
our Definition of Done (DoD)
- Understanding
the cumulative flow diagram
Module
7: Working in Sprints
- Specifying
your sprint schedule and your team capacity
- Selecting
items for the sprint backlog using forecasting
- Decomposing
requirements into tasks
- Using
burndown charts to track progress
- Monitoring
work using the task board
- Working
with unparented work items
Module
8: Retrospectives
- The
importance of retrospectives
- Conducting
an efficient sprint retrospective
- What
you should avoid in your retrospective
Module
9: Working with TFS Teams
- Configuring
teams in our team project
- Managing
work from a master backlog
- Allocating
work to our teams
- Configuring
iterations for TFS teams
Module
10: Enhancing Requirements Using Storyboards
- Overview
of storyboarding capabilities
- Creating
a storyboard to illustrate a requirement
- Linking
a storyboard to a work item
Module
11: Getting Stakeholder Feedback
- Introducing
the Microsoft Feedback Client
- Using
the Microsoft Feedback Client to provide rich feedback to the team
- Adding
continuous feedback into your workflow
Module
12: Fostering Team Collaboration
- An
overview of the various clients
- The
use of email in sharing information
- Using
the Team Room
- Choosing
the appropriate client tool
Module
13: Creating and Customizing Reports
- Overview
of reporting architecture
- Reviewing
the out-of-the-box reports
- Adding
new reports
- Creating
ad hoc reports using Excel
Module
14: Overview of Agile Testing
- The
role of the tester in a sprint planning meeting
- A
lap around web-based test management
- Creating
a test plan
- Creating
manual test cases from requirements
Module
15: Overview of Agile Development
- Using
My Work to select tasks from the sprint backlog
- Understanding
the value of linking changesets to work items
- The
importance of unit testing
- Creating
a continuous integration