Build & Manage your Requirements Backlog in Azure Devops from Udemy

Updated Dec 2023 - Added questions to help test knowledge and support learning

Updated Jan 2024 - Added links to useful resources, refreshed early lectures to improve smoothness of animations and key word callouts to make them clearer

Updated Feb 2024 - Added a new Downloadable PDF resource guide

Updated May 2024 - Added a New Lecture. Learn how to run effective Retrospectives in Azure Devops

Updated June 2024 - Expanded upon the Capacity lecture to give live examples and go into more detail

This course has been created to help you Become a Master at Building and Managing a product backlog in Azure Devops. Whether you’re a Product Owner, Business Analyst, Scrum Master, Developer, Tester or simply someone who is working Azure Devops to build and deliver on a Product Backlog and need to know how to use the tool effectively.

Azure Devops is a large and multi purposed tool and for non technical users it can be especially confusing to use as functions that support code delivery sit alongside functions that help you manage business requirements.

This course will focus on all the features and functionality that support a clear and actionable requirements backlog for Agile and SCRUM delivery. It's a great tool at encouraging Business requirements to meet technical delivery. But the trick is How do I use Azure Devops effectively in my day to day job?

This course looks to solve this problem by providing you with live demonstrations of all the necessary functionality to set up and manage a backlog for any project or change. With Step by Step walkthroughs of each feature, We will build a Product Backlog together from EPIC to Feature to user story. We'll log Bugs, link tickets, populate future sprints, manage the board in refinements and daily standup, run queries and even build dashboards to see how the team is progressing together.

The course digs into all aspects of creating and managing a backlog in Azure Devops, navigating its key features and functionality, including:

Navigating Devops

- Boards

- Backlogs

- Sprints

- Queries

Product Backlog Items (PBI's)

- EPIC

- Feature

- User Story

- Task

- Bug

Managing the Backlog

- Adding to the backlog

- Removing from the backlog

- Prioritising the Backlog

- Setting up views

- States

Sprints & Queries

- Reviewing your current sprint

- Looking at historical sprints

- Adding tasks

- Managing Capacity

Boards, Dashboards and the WIKI

- Using Azure Devops as part of Refinement

- Using Azure Devops for daily standups

- Creating Dashboards

- The WIKI

Managing User stories

- Discussions within Azure Devops

- Change History

- Description, Acceptance Criteria, Supporting Info

- Planning

- Related and Linking PBI's

Additional Devops Functions

- Estimating using Planning Poker

- Test Plans

- Integrations with MIRO

- PBI Templates

The demonstrations within this course will take you through simple understandable project, nt simply showing you the functions but using them for real in the context of the project I have created. This helps with your understanding and you don't just understand how to do something, but you understand why you are doing it as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

- Do you use Azure Devops?

YES. I‘ve used Azure Devops for the last 4 years and use it everyday in my role now as a Product Owner and before as a Business Analyst.

- Can I use Azure Devops for SCRUM and AGILE projects?

Absolutely. the platform is ideal for projects based on these frameworks

- Does this course contain everything I need to use Azure Devops to manage my product backlog?

Yes, this course contains detailed steps to take you from being an absolute beginner in Azure Devops to expert, Including:

- Navigating Devops

- Product Backlog Items

- Managing the Backlog

- Sprints & Queries

- Boards, Dashboard and WIKI

- Managing User Stories

- Additional Devops Function

- Can I try Azure Devops myself?

Yes, it's very easy to use in your browser, just google "Azure Devops", select the first link and follow the instructions to sign up. its very easy and simple to get started.

- I'm stuck or have additional questions, can I ask a few things?

Of course, I created this course to help Product Owners, Managers, Scrum Masters, Business Analysts, Developers, Testers and more to get maximum value from this great tool. Please feel free to use the Q&A feature to reach out and I’ll answer any questions you may have.

- Is this course for you?

This course is for you if you are:

New to Azure Devops and want to improve your skills and knowledge
A Product Owner, Business Analyst, Scrum Master, Developer, Tester or anyone looking to use a system to manage their requirements
Are unsure how to get started in Azure Devops and Backlog Management
Are unsure how to get maximum value out of Azure Devops
Looking to improve productivity

- What you can expect

Ongoing support with any questions and queries you may have
High quality lectures that you can take in or out of order to support your style of learning
Updates based on feedback and new developments within Azure Devops

What's inside

Learning objectives

Create a requirements backlog in azure devops
Create epics, features and user stories and prioritise them in the backlog
Create dashboards to show the team progress and velocity
Manage sprints within scrum to deliver iteratively

Estimate tickets in azure devops using relative sizing
Create bugs and other product backlog items
Create and run detailed queries in azure devops

Create a requirements backlog in azure devops
Create epics, features and user stories and prioritise them in the backlog
Create dashboards to show the team progress and velocity
Manage sprints within scrum to deliver iteratively
Estimate tickets in azure devops using relative sizing
Create bugs and other product backlog items
Create and run detailed queries in azure devops

Syllabus

Introduction

Welcome!

What this course covers

Requirements and Scrum

Learn fundamental concepts of Scrum, Agile, Backlogs and Sprints. This knowledge will support your understanding of the key terms used later in the course

Learn about how Requirements in Scrum are structured as EPICS, Features and User Stories. This will help you when understanding dedicated lectures to each of these later in the course

A short Quiz to ensure the basics of Agile have sunk in

Learn what the boards menu shows you in DevOps and how it can be used

Learn what the backlogs menu shows you in DevOps and how it can be used

Learn what the queries menu shows you in DevOps and how it can be used

Learn what the sprints menu shows you in DevOps and how it can be used

Learn that Azure Devops is very configurable, meaning you may see different wording, options, statuses and more in your instance

Learn how to create an EPIC (High level requirement) in the backlog

Learn how to create a Feature (Medium level detail requirement) in the backlog

Learn how to create user stories (detailed requirements at the smallest level of developable work) in the backlog

Learn how to create tasks, how they fit in with User Stories and when they are used

Learn how and why bugs are generated, how they look and where they sit on the backlog

Learn how to add new Product Backlog Items to your backlog

Learn how to create relationships between backlog items, essential for creating a coherent organised backlog

You've added items to the backlog, now learn how to remove duplicate or unwanted items

Learn how to prioritise your backlog, fundamental to Product Owner roles when supporting the Scrum team

Learn how to configure your views so you get the key information needed when viewing the backlog, such as ID number, status and more. Ideal for setting up your backlog to suit your particular role

Learn the importance of states, the role they play in the day to day management of a backlog and how you select them

Learn how to change to the sprint view and the advantages of using this to review your current sprint

Learn how discussions are used in Azure Devops, Who uses them and why, Also smart ways of notifying and being notified when you have a new comment you may be interested in

Learn the best screens to use for the Refinement Scrum Event and how typically you might use it

Learn the best views to use for daily standup and how typically the backlog will be updated from that screen

Retrospectives are another fundamental part of Scrum, and you can hold great ones within the Azure Devops. Learn how to move through multiple stages from gathering feedback, grouping, discussing and dating upon the feedback to even populate your next sprint backlog

Learn the value of dashboards and how to create them to give insights into you and your teams workload and progress

Learn how a WIKI can be set up to set standards, provide guidance and rules that your whole team can review and follow

This is my favourite extension to Azure Devops. Learn how to perform planning poker directly within the tool, capturing everyone estimation score, discussing and committing the agreed score to the story. This feature is so easy to use and a must for any scrum team

Learn how to manage your teams changing velocity within each sprint, accounting fo time off, bank holidays, sick leave and more to account for reduced and even increased capacity

Learn how to create a standard template of all the setting and key information you put into a user story

More linking options that really make sense in circumstanced where a story is related to another and you want the team to consider those other items when developing this one.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Provides step-by-step walkthroughs of each feature, which helps learners understand how to build a product backlog from EPIC to Feature to user story

Explores how to manage team capacity within each sprint, accounting for time off, holidays, and sick leave, which is essential for accurate sprint planning

Covers how to create relationships between backlog items, which is essential for creating a coherent and organized backlog that aligns with project goals

Teaches how to use Azure Devops for refinement and daily standups, which are key Scrum events for effective team collaboration and progress tracking

Demonstrates how to perform planning poker directly within Azure Devops, which streamlines the estimation process and fosters team consensus on story points

Requires learners to sign up for Azure Devops, which may involve navigating Microsoft's account system and understanding its pricing tiers for different levels of access

Reviews summary

Azure devops backlog management practical guide

According to learners, this course offers a largely positive experience for mastering requirements backlog management in Azure DevOps. Students appreciate the practical, hands-on approach with clear, step-by-step demonstrations that show not just how to use the features but also the "why" behind them. Many find it extremely helpful for roles like Product Owner or Business Analyst, providing a solid foundation for those new to the tool or looking to improve their use of it for Agile/Scrum. The instructor's commitment to regular updates is seen as a significant plus, keeping the content relevant with recent changes and adding new topics like Retrospectives and Capacity management. While primarily focused on the tool, the course successfully integrates relevant Scrum concepts.

Well-organized content, easy to follow.

"The course structure is logical and easy to follow, starting with basics and building up."

"Lectures are high quality and presented in a way that supports learning."

"The step-by-step approach makes complex features understandable."

"I found the explanations clear and the pacing appropriate for learning."

Highly relevant for various professional roles.

"As a Product Owner, this course was exactly what I needed to improve my use of Azure DevOps for backlog management."

"Recommended for Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, and anyone working with requirements in Azure DevOps."

"The course is geared towards helping professionals get maximum value from this tool in their day-to-day job."

"Helped me understand how to use Azure Devops effectively for Agile and SCRUM delivery."

Comprehensive coverage of Azure DevOps backlog tools.

"This course covers all the necessary functionality to set up and manage a backlog effectively, from EPICS to Tasks and Bugs."

"I learned how to create queries, build dashboards, manage sprints, and use boards for daily standups and refinement."

"The course went into detail on prioritizing, setting up views, and managing the state of backlog items."

"It really helps navigate the key features and functionality needed for backlog management in Devops."

Instructor actively updates course based on feedback.

"Great to see the course is being updated frequently with new content and improvements based on user feedback."

"The instructor is very responsive and has made recent changes to keep the material current with Azure DevOps."

"Knowing the instructor is adding lectures on topics like Retrospectives and Capacity makes the course even more valuable."

"Ongoing support and updates are a big plus, showing commitment to learners' success."

Offers hands-on walkthroughs of Azure DevOps.

"The live demonstrations and step-by-step walkthroughs were incredibly useful for understanding how to apply the concepts directly in Azure DevOps."

"I really appreciated the practical examples provided throughout the course; they made it easy to follow along and replicate."

"It wasn't just theoretical; seeing the instructor build a backlog in real-time was exactly what I needed."

"I liked that the course showed how to use the functions for real in the context of a project."

Might need additional resources for deep dives.

"While great for practical application, I felt some topics could benefit from a bit more theoretical depth regarding Agile or Scrum principles themselves."

"The focus is heavily on the tool; for advanced Scrum techniques, you might need supplementary learning."

"Good overview of features, but for very specific or complex scenarios, additional resources might be helpful."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Build & Manage your Requirements Backlog in Azure Devops with these activities:

Review Agile and Scrum Fundamentals

Show steps

Solidify your understanding of Agile and Scrum principles to better grasp how Azure DevOps supports these methodologies.

Browse courses on Scrum

Show steps

Review the Agile Manifesto and Scrum Guide.
Summarize the key roles, events, and artifacts in Scrum.
Identify how Agile principles apply to backlog management.

Review 'Agile Estimating and Planning' by Mike Cohn

Show steps

Learn agile estimating and planning techniques to improve sprint planning and backlog prioritization in Azure DevOps.

View A Leader's Guide to Agile on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book 'Agile Estimating and Planning' by Mike Cohn.
Practice estimating user stories using different techniques.
Apply the concepts of agile planning to Azure DevOps sprints.

Review 'User Story Mapping' by Jeff Patton

Show steps

Learn how to visually map user stories to improve backlog prioritization and ensure a comprehensive understanding of user needs.

View User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story,... on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book 'User Story Mapping' by Jeff Patton.
Practice creating a user story map for a sample project.
Relate the concepts of user story mapping to Azure DevOps features.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Create a Sample Project Backlog in Azure DevOps

Show steps

Apply the course concepts by building a complete backlog for a hypothetical project, including epics, features, user stories, and tasks.

Show steps

Define a project scope and objectives.
Create epics and features to represent high-level requirements.
Break down features into user stories with acceptance criteria.
Add tasks to user stories to represent development activities.
Prioritize the backlog based on business value and effort.

Practice Creating and Running Queries

Show steps

Master the query functionality in Azure DevOps by creating and running various queries to filter and analyze backlog items.

Show steps

Create queries to find all user stories assigned to a specific team member.
Create queries to find all bugs with a specific severity.
Create queries to find all backlog items in a specific sprint.
Experiment with different query operators and filters.

Document Azure DevOps Backlog Management Best Practices

Show steps

Reinforce your learning by creating a guide that summarizes best practices for managing a backlog in Azure DevOps.

Show steps

Research and compile best practices for backlog management.
Organize the information into a clear and concise guide.
Include examples and screenshots from Azure DevOps.
Share the guide with peers for feedback.

Build a Dashboard to Visualize Team Progress

Show steps

Apply your knowledge of Azure DevOps dashboards by creating a custom dashboard to track team progress and key metrics.

Show steps

Identify key metrics to track (e.g., velocity, burndown).
Add widgets to the dashboard to display the metrics.
Configure the widgets to display the desired data.
Customize the dashboard layout and appearance.

Career center

Learners who complete Build & Manage your Requirements Backlog in Azure Devops will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Requirements Manager

A requirements manager is responsible for eliciting, analyzing, documenting, and managing requirements throughout the project lifecycle. This course aligns directly with the responsibilities of a requirements manager by providing a comprehensive guide to building and managing requirements backlogs in Azure DevOps. The course covers essential topics such as creating epics, features, and user stories, prioritizing backlog items, and establishing relationships to create a coherent and organized backlog. A requirements manager who takes this course can expect to refine their skills and ensure requirements are captured effectively. If one wishes to excel as a requirements manager, this course may be particularly useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Requirements Manager

Product Owner

A product owner maximizes the value of the product resulting from the work of the development team. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively build and manage a product backlog in Azure DevOps, a critical skill for any product owner. You'll learn how to create epics, features, and user stories, prioritize them within the backlog, and manage sprints to deliver iteratively. The course's practical demonstrations of backlog management, sprint planning, and the use of boards and dashboards directly apply to the daily tasks of a product owner. Specifically, the section on prioritizing the backlog helps a Product Owner when supporting the Scrum team. If you want to excel as a product owner, this course may be useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Owner

Product Manager

A product manager is responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition for a product or product line. This course provides product managers with a deep understanding of how to effectively build and manage a product backlog in Azure DevOps. You'll learn how to create epics, features, and user stories, prioritize them within the backlog, and manage sprints to deliver iteratively. The course's practical demonstrations of backlog management, sprint planning, and the use of boards and dashboards directly apply to the daily tasks of a product manager.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Scrum Master

The role of a Scrum Master is to guide a team on scrum principles and best practices. A deep understanding of backlog management in Azure DevOps, as taught in the course, is essential for a Scrum Master who wishes to help teams be their most productive. The course covers essential functionality for agile and scrum delivery, including setting up and managing a backlog, facilitating sprint planning, and running effective retrospectives. The demonstrations of using Azure DevOps for refinement and daily standups are particularly valuable for a Scrum Master. The course may be useful, especially the Retrospectives lecture.

See salaries and explore the career path for Scrum Master

Iteration Manager

Iteration Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects in the iteration. This course equips iteration managers with the skills to effectively use Azure DevOps for managing and communicating requirements within iterations. The course covers how to create and manage epics, features, and user stories, ensuring that business requirements are clearly defined and actionable during iteration. The course's focus on creating relationships, prioritizing, and then documenting backlog items may be useful for an iteration manager looking to improve their requirements management process.

See salaries and explore the career path for Iteration Manager

Release Manager

A release manager is responsible for planning, scheduling, and controlling the software build through the release process. The course covers essential functionality for agile and scrum delivery, including setting up and managing a backlog, facilitating sprint planning, and running effective retrospectives. This may be useful as Azure Devops is a common tool to manage, track, and report the progress of releases. The demonstrations of using Azure DevOps for refinement and daily standups may be useful for a Release Manager. If one wishes to excel as a release manager, this course may be particularly useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Release Manager

Business Analyst

A business analyst identifies business needs and determines solutions to business problems. This course equips business analysts with the skills to effectively use Azure DevOps for managing and communicating requirements. The course covers how to create and manage epics, features, and user stories, ensuring that business requirements are clearly defined and actionable. The course's focus on creating relationships, prioritizing, and then documenting backlog items may be useful for a business analyst looking to improve their requirements management process. This course may be useful for any business analyst seeking to leverage Azure DevOps.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Solution Architect

A Solution Architect is responsible for the overall design of a system, which can be partially managed with Azure Devops. This course equips solution architects with the skills to effectively use Azure DevOps for solution backlog management. The course covers how to create and manage epics, features, and user stories, ensuring that solution requirements are clearly defined and actionable. The course's focus on creating relationships, prioritizing, and then documenting backlog items may be useful for a solution architect looking to improve their requirements management process.

See salaries and explore the career path for Solution Architect

Applications Architect

An Applications Architect is responsible for the architecture across a group of applications, which can be partially managed with Azure Devops. This course equips applications architects with the skills to effectively use Azure DevOps for solution backlog management. The course covers how to create and manage epics, features, and user stories, ensuring that application requirements are clearly defined and actionable. The course's focus on creating relationships, prioritizing, and then documenting backlog items may be useful for an applications architect looking to improve their requirements management process.

See salaries and explore the career path for Applications Architect

Agile Coach

An Agile Coach is responsible for guiding teams, stakeholders and organizations in agile practices. To be an effective Agile Coach, an understanding of tools like Azure Devops helps foster better team collaboration. In this course, Agile Coaches can learn how to use Azure Devops for Agile and Scrum delivery. Coaches can then share these insights with their teams. This includes setting up and managing a backlog, facilitating sprint planning, and running effective retrospectives. The demonstrations of using Azure DevOps for refinement and daily standups are particularly valuable for an Agile Coach.

See salaries and explore the career path for Agile Coach

Project Manager

A project manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. This course may be useful for project managers who want to leverage Azure DevOps for project requirements management. The course covers how to build and manage a product backlog, track progress, and facilitate communication among team members. The course's demonstrations of sprint planning, capacity management, and dashboard creation may be useful for project managers seeking to improve their project tracking and reporting capabilities. In cases that follow the Scrum framework, the roles of Project Manager and Scrum Master may be held by the same person.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Delivery Lead

A delivery lead guides the delivery team to reach their goals by using agile methodoligies. This course may be useful for delivery leads who want to leverage Azure DevOps for project requirements management. The course covers how to build and manage a product backlog, track progress, and facilitate communication among team members. The course's demonstrations of sprint planning, capacity management, and dashboard creation may be useful for delivery leads seeking to improve their project tracking and reporting capabilities. This course may improve one's effectiveness as a delivery lead.

See salaries and explore the career path for Delivery Lead

Program Manager

A program manager oversees a group of related projects, often with the intention of improving an organization's performance. This course may be useful for program managers who want to leverage Azure DevOps for program requirements management. The course covers how to build and manage a product backlog, track progress, and facilitate communication among team members. The demonstrations of sprint planning, capacity management, and dashboard creation may be useful for program managers seeking to improve their program tracking and reporting capabilities. This course may improve one's effectiveness as a program manager.

See salaries and explore the career path for Program Manager

System Analyst

A system analyst analyzes current computer systems procedures and designs solutions. This course may be useful for system analysts who want to leverage Azure DevOps for project requirements management. The course covers how to build and manage a product backlog, track progress, and facilitate communication among team members. The demonstrations of sprint planning, capacity management, and dashboard creation may be useful for system analysts seeking to improve their project tracking and reporting capabilities. This course may improve one's effectiveness as a system analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for System Analyst

Team Lead

A team lead guides a team to reach their goals, and may have specific knowledge of backlog management. This course may be useful for team leads who want to leverage Azure DevOps for project requirements management. The course covers how to build and manage a product backlog, track progress, and facilitate communication among team members. The course's demonstrations of sprint planning, capacity management, and dashboard creation may be useful for team leads seeking to improve their project tracking and reporting capabilities. This course may improve one's effectiveness as a team lead.

See salaries and explore the career path for Team Lead

Build & Manage your Requirements Backlog in Azure Devops

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Azure devops backlog management practical guide

Activities

Career center

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