Which TFS2010 “Agile” Project Template one is right for you? One side-by-side of MS Agile v5, MS Scrum v1[Beta] and Scrum For TFS(SfTS) v3

Crispin Parker's Blog - Scrum for Team System v3.0, MSF Agile v5.0 and Team Foundation Server Scrum v1.0 (beta)

“With the recent launch of the new Microsoft Scrum template, I am often asked about a feature comparison between the Microsoft templates and SfTS. So, below I will look into the features available in each of the process templates.

Project Life Cycle Tracking

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Project Feature Tracking

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Reporting

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Project Portals

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In Summary

I’m sure there are many other comparative aspects that I have overlooked. But I think I have clearly demonstrated that each of the templates offers features that will be just right for someone. Whether you are looking for a simple quick start scrum setup, mature project management that nods towards scrum or a complete enterprise level scrum adoption, there is something there for you.

One of the big wins for the SfTS template is the advanced Auto Rollup feature. The ability for values on linked work items to directly effect values on other work items cuts out a massive amount of administration work and is only available in the SfTS template. The rollup features give you a richer experience and makes the whole project hang together in a logical way. The process that controls the auto rollup functionality is (like the rest of the SfTS template) completely customisable. If you needs to change the rollup behaviour, you just edit the associated rules file contained within the installed SfTS web service.

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This is the first side-by-side comparison of the new TFS2010 “agile” Project Templates that I’ve seen.

My major concern about Microsoft’s new Scrum Template is that we’ve seen other Scrum templates from Microsoft in the past, that eventually died. Picking a TFS Project Template is to important to pick one that might not have a future… If Microsoft’s is going to be included “in the box” when it RTM’s then that’s one thing. But if not, then I’d be worried about its lifespan. [GD: See update on this below]

 

Update 6/29/2010 @ 7:30 AM (PDT):

Driving forward from a comment left by agovorine (thank you), I pinged Aaron Bjork via his “Announcing Team Foundation Server Scrum v1.0 Beta” post about my “in the box” concern.

Quote:

“Yes, this template will eventually be "in the box".  Obviously our plans for vNext are not completely nailed down, but I anticipate having an Agile and Scrum template moving forward along with our CMMI template.  This is not just a "cool additional template".”

Prefect! I’m now a much happier camper and will be focusing on this template more in the future… :)

 

Related Past Post XRef:
Scrum Resources

“Getting Started With Scrum for Team System Version 3 (TFS 2010)” – aka The “Okay I’ve got it installed, now what?” Guide
Scrum for Team System version 3 (TFS 2010), aka (SfTS v3) RTM released
Scrum for Team System 2.2 Released – More Reports, bug fixes, SQL Server 2008 and new Report Slide Show feature
Want some help getting started with Scrum for Team System 2? Well here you go…
Scrum for Team System (SfTS) Work Item Migration Utility Released (SfTS 1.x/2.x to SfTS 2.1)
Scrum for Team System v2.1 Released
Scrum for Team System V2 (TFS 2008) RTM
Scrum 1.1 for Team System/TFS Released
Free Scrum Process Template for TFS