DEV300 - Visual Studio 2005 Team System: Software Project Management

Presented by Lori Lamkin

Talked about:

- bringing together the team, the schedule and functionality to meet customer needs
- problems project managers try to predict (false starts, doing the right work, meeting requirements, etc.)
- how things get lost when moving transitioning between phases

Visual Studio Team System closes the gaps between phases and smooths out the transitions.
Visual Studio Team System wants to increase productivity and predictability

Lori demonstrated Visual Studio Team System showing:

- requirements spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel using data pulled from work item database
- refreshing the spreasheet to show the latest data from the work item database
- how editing data in Microsoft Excel and publishing data back to the work item database
- how to create a set of work items associated with a particular requirement
- Microsoft Project to schedule the work items from the work item database
- assigning work items in Microsoft Project
- transition rules to require things like providing a reason when change status on a work item
- once again publishing changes back to the work item database
- querying work items from within Visual Studio
- resolving work items within Visual Studio
- viewing the updated status in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Excel
- the Project Site based on Windows SharePoint Services
- custom Web Parts displaying RSS feeds from MSDN
- reports on the Project Site showing graphs and requirements completion progress
- using reports to analyze project status
- reports displaying test passing status

Project Status Graph

Lori demonstrated Process Guidance:

- lots of resistance to process (documentation centric process causes friction)
- new process guidance content in the Visual Studio Help system
- customizable, checklist-based process guidance

Process Guidance

Lori demonstrated Project Administration showing:

- creating security groups from within Visual Studio Team System
- setting permissions on a security group level
- creating check-in policies to mandate check-in requirements (e.g., require a work item for every check-in)
- code audit logs showing who did what to which source files

Code Audit Log

Visual Studio Team System instruments the work people do anyway

Randy Miller then joined Lori on stage to show what he has done to incorporate agile process in Visual Studio Team System:
- MSF now has an agile process
- can customize Visual Studio Team System to use your own process using methodology templates
- methodology templates specify work item types, process guidance, security groupings, reports, etc.
- can implement process that support test-driven development
- Microsoft will ship methodology based on Microsoft's proven practices

Custom Process Guidance

Several Global System Integrators will make available their methodology processes:
- Avanade, Accenture, EDS, Capgemini, Unisys, Fujitsu, and Infosys [UPDATED list]