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Azure Boards Workflow

Proposed flow

New -> Approved -> Committed -> In Progress -> Ready for Testing -> Done

Azure DevOps process state names and board columns are related but not identical. If the inherited Agile process does not provide every state, configure board columns and split-column policies to represent the flow without misreporting the underlying state.

Stage Entry criteria Owner Exit policy
New Need/opportunity captured with initial context Product Owner Value and scope reviewed
Approved Acceptance criteria, priority, estimate, and dependencies are understood Product Owner + team Ordered high enough for planning
Committed Selected into an iteration within capacity Team Work starts and tasks are assigned
In Progress Active implementation/documentation Developer Acceptance criteria implemented; self-test complete
Ready for Testing PR/build available and automated checks pass QA Required tests/evidence complete; defects dispositioned
Done Definition of Done and acceptance satisfied Product Owner / QA No further action in current scope

Work-item hierarchy

Epic
└── Feature
    └── User Story or Bug
        ├── Task
        └── Test Case (linked by Tested By / Tests)

Technical work may be a Task under a story or a standalone backlog item according to team reporting needs. Avoid using Tasks as substitutes for user-value stories.

Board policies

  • Committed work must have an iteration, owner, acceptance criteria, estimate, and no unresolved blocking dependency.
  • Use a Blocked tag plus a linked dependency and comment; status alone should not hide blockers.
  • WIP guidance: each contributor holds at most one primary item in progress; prioritize finishing/testing over starting more work.
  • A story cannot move to Ready for Testing until local tests and the relevant CI check pass.
  • A story cannot move to Done until linked test evidence and documentation satisfy the Definition of Done.
  • Bugs link to the originating test case/story and include severity distinct from backlog priority.

Suggested queries and dashboard widgets

  • Current Sprint by State
  • Ready for Testing without test outcome
  • Open Critical/High Bugs
  • Blocked Work
  • Stories without linked Test Cases
  • Lead/Cycle Time control chart
  • Sprint burndown and cumulative flow
  • Latest pipeline status and test pass rate

Metrics support improvement and forecasting; they must not be used as individual performance targets.