Maximise Your Scrum Process: Leveraging Azure DevOps for Agile Success

As your DevOps was built for agile teams by agile teams, there are numerous ways to leverage it to support your agile practices. Today, I want to share how to use Azure DevOps to enhance your Scrum process, drawing insights from Scrum.org and the teams at Microsoft who developed it. My focus will be on integrating the Scrum framework with value-focused, hypothesis-driven, flow-based practices.

Hi, I’m Martin Hinshelwood, owner and principal consultant at Naked Agility. As a professional Scrum trainer with Scrum.org and a professional Kanban trainer with Pro Kanban, I’ve spent the last 15 years as a Microsoft MVP in GitHub and Azure DevOps.

The Absence of Metrics in Scrum

Would it surprise you to learn that there are no metrics in the Scrum Guide? Even more surprising is the fact that user stories, story points, planning poker, and burndown charts are not integral to Scrum. These practices are optional and can be valuable in certain contexts, but they are not prerequisites. Just because a tool or practice worked in one scenario doesn’t mean it will fit another. The key is to adapt your practices and tools to support your team’s behaviours and objectives effectively.

Customising Azure DevOps for Scrum

When setting up Azure DevOps, you’ll first encounter the concept of organisations and projects. Each organisation can host multiple projects, and when creating a new project, you can select the process to use. I’ve created a custom process based on the Scrum Guide, which I’ll demonstrate shortly.

In Azure DevOps, the default processes include Basic, Agile, Scrum, and CMMI. While these are locked and cannot be edited, you can create inherited processes. For my custom process, I’ve disabled Epics and Features because I prefer a flat product backlog. A product backlog should be a straightforward list of items to be completed, without unnecessary hierarchy.

Setting Up Your Project

To configure your project effectively, you need to set up two key elements: area paths and iteration paths. The area path defines the breakdown of teams, while the iteration path is a time-based breakdown.

In my project settings, I’ve established a season-based model with two halves of the year, each containing multiple sprints. This setup allows for clear visibility and management of the work being done across different teams.

Refinement and Backlog Management

Refinement is crucial for Scrum teams, as it involves preparing product backlog items for upcoming sprints. During refinement, the team collaborates to understand what’s next, manage dependencies, and ensure that the backlog is well-organised.

Azure DevOps offers a powerful tagging system that allows you to filter and group items based on various criteria. This capability is invaluable for managing a large backlog and ensuring that the team can focus on the most important items.

Sprint Planning and Execution

The first event in Scrum is Sprint Planning, where the team defines the Sprint goal and selects the work to be completed. Azure DevOps facilitates this process by allowing you to filter backlog items and assign them to the current sprint.

During the Sprint, the daily Scrum is an opportunity to review progress and identify any impediments. Azure DevOps provides a board view that helps teams visualise their workflow and track the status of work items.

Sprint Review and Retrospective

At the end of the Sprint, the Sprint Review is a critical moment for assessing what was accomplished and updating the product backlog. This is where collaboration with stakeholders is essential to ensure that the backlog reflects the current priorities and market needs.

Following the review, the Sprint Retrospective allows the team to reflect on their processes and identify areas for improvement. While Azure DevOps may not be the primary tool during this event, it can still provide valuable insights into the team’s performance.

Conclusion

I hope this overview gives you a clearer understanding of how to use Azure DevOps to support your Scrum environment. Remember, the goal is to adapt your tools and practices to fit your team’s unique context and needs. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out in the comments below.

Let’s continue to embrace agility and strive for continuous improvement in our practices!