Azure Boards for tracking - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Azure Boards for tracking

Create Azure DevOps Project

↓

Open Azure Boards

↓

Create Work Items

↓

Assign Work Items to Team Members

↓

Track Progress via Boards and Queries

↓

Update Work Item Status

↓

Complete Work Items and Close

This flow shows how you start a project, create and assign work items, track progress, update status, and complete tasks using Azure Boards.

Execution Sample

Azure

1. Create a new Azure DevOps project
2. Open Azure Boards in the project
3. Add a new work item (e.g., User Story)
4. Assign it to a team member
5. Update status as work progresses
6. Close work item when done

This sequence shows the basic steps to track work using Azure Boards.

Process Table

Step	Action	Work Item State	Assigned To	Board View Update
1	Create project	No work items	None	Empty board created
2	Open Azure Boards	No work items	None	Board interface ready
3	Add work item 'User Story 1'	New	Unassigned	Work item appears in 'New' column
4	Assign to Alice	New	Alice	Work item shows assigned to Alice
5	Update status to 'In Progress'	In Progress	Alice	Work item moves to 'In Progress' column
6	Update status to 'Done'	Done	Alice	Work item moves to 'Done' column
7	Close work item	Closed	Alice	Work item removed from active board
8	End	-	-	Tracking complete

💡 Work item closed and tracking completed

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5	After Step 6	After Step 7
Work Item State	None	New	New	In Progress	Done	Closed
Assigned To	None	Unassigned	Alice	Alice	Alice	Alice
Board Columns	Empty	'New' has 1 item	'New' has 1 item	'In Progress' has 1 item	'Done' has 1 item	'Closed' (hidden)

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the work item move columns on the board?

Because updating the work item's status changes its state, which moves it to the corresponding column on the board as shown in steps 5 and 6 in the execution_table.

What happens if a work item is not assigned?

It remains assigned to 'Unassigned' and can still be tracked, but assigning it to a team member helps clarify responsibility, as seen in step 4.

Why is the work item removed from the active board after closing?

Closed work items are considered complete and typically hidden from active boards to keep focus on current work, as shown in step 7.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the 'Work Item State' after step 5?

A New

B In Progress

C Done

D Closed

💡 Hint

Check the 'Work Item State' column in the execution_table row for step 5.

At which step does the work item get assigned to Alice?

A Step 4

B Step 3

C Step 5

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Assigned To' column in the execution_table to find when 'Alice' appears.

If the work item status was never updated to 'Done', what would the board show after step 6?

A 'Done' column with the work item

B 'New' column with the work item

C 'In Progress' column with the work item

D No work item on the board

💡 Hint

Refer to the 'Board View Update' column in the execution_table for step 5 and 6.

Concept Snapshot

Azure Boards lets you track work items visually.
Create a project, add work items, assign them, and update their status.
Work items move across columns representing their state.
Closed items are removed from active boards.
This helps teams see progress clearly.

Full Transcript

Azure Boards is a tool in Azure DevOps to track work visually. You start by creating a project, then open Azure Boards to add work items like user stories or tasks. Each work item has a state such as New, In Progress, Done, or Closed. You assign work items to team members to show responsibility. As work progresses, you update the status, which moves the item across columns on the board. When work is finished, you close the item, and it is removed from the active board to keep focus on current tasks. This process helps teams organize and track their work clearly and efficiently.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of Azure Boards in project management?

easy

A. To host websites and web applications

B. To help teams track work using cards and lists

C. To store large amounts of data securely

D. To manage virtual machines and networks

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Azure Boards functionality

   Azure Boards is designed to help teams organize and track their work visually using cards and lists.

2. Step 2: Compare options with Azure Boards purpose

   Options A, B, and D describe other Azure services, not Azure Boards.

3. Final Answer:

   To help teams track work using cards and lists -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Azure Boards = Work tracking with cards and lists [OK]

Hint: Azure Boards = tracking work visually with cards [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Azure Boards with Azure Storage
• Thinking Azure Boards manages infrastructure
• Mixing Azure Boards with Azure App Services

2. Which of the following is a valid work item type in Azure Boards?

easy

A. User Story

B. Virtual Machine

C. Blob Storage

D. SQL Database

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify work item types in Azure Boards

   Common work items include User Stories, Bugs, Tasks, and Features.

2. Step 2: Eliminate unrelated Azure services

   Virtual Machine, Blob Storage, and SQL Database are Azure infrastructure or service types, not work items.

3. Final Answer:

   User Story -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   User Story = valid work item type [OK]

Hint: Work items = User Story, Bug, Task, Feature [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Azure services with work items
• Selecting infrastructure components as work items
• Not recognizing User Story as a work item

3. Given a team using Azure Boards, which view shows the prioritized list of work items to be done next?

medium

A. Backlog

B. Dashboard

C. Repository

D. Pipeline

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Azure Boards views

   The Backlog view lists work items prioritized for upcoming work.

2. Step 2: Differentiate other views

   Dashboard shows summary widgets, Repository holds code, Pipeline manages builds and releases.

3. Final Answer:

   Backlog -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Backlog = prioritized work list [OK]

Hint: Backlog = prioritized work items list [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Dashboard with Backlog
• Mixing code repository with work tracking
• Thinking Pipeline shows work priorities

4. A team member cannot see the Azure Board for their project. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The Azure Board service is offline

B. They are using the wrong browser

C. Their internet connection is too slow

D. They do not have the correct project permissions

Solution

1. Step 1: Check common access issues in Azure Boards

   Access to Boards depends on project permissions assigned to users.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Azure Boards is a cloud service with high availability, so service offline is unlikely. Internet speed or browser issues usually cause loading delays, not complete invisibility.

3. Final Answer:

   They do not have the correct project permissions -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Permissions control Board visibility [OK]

Hint: Check user permissions first for Board access issues [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming service outage without checking permissions
• Blaming internet speed for access denial
• Ignoring permission settings

5. A team wants to track bugs and user stories separately but see both on one board. How can they configure Azure Boards to achieve this?

hard

A. Merge Bugs and User Stories into a single work item type

B. Create two separate projects, one for Bugs and one for User Stories

C. Create separate work item queries for Bugs and User Stories, then add both queries as cards on a single board

D. Use Azure Pipelines to automate bug tracking and user stories

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Azure Boards customization

   Azure Boards allows adding multiple queries as card sources on one board to show different work item types together.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Creating separate projects splits work and complicates tracking. Azure Pipelines is for automation, not work item display. Merging work item types loses distinction.

3. Final Answer:

   Create separate work item queries for Bugs and User Stories, then add both queries as cards on a single board -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use queries to combine work items on one board [OK]

Hint: Use queries to show multiple work types on one board [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Splitting work into separate projects unnecessarily
• Confusing Pipelines with Boards functionality
• Trying to merge distinct work item types