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.