Creating a custom Activity for Team Foundation Build
You can be creating a custom activity for Team Foundation Build in a few simple steps. There are always advanced steps but this will get you started. It is fairly simple to create a custom activity for Team Foundation Server build services. The first thing to do is to create a Class library and add a reference to “System.Activities.CodeActivity.dll” you will be all set to start creating any build activities that you need. This class library can contain as many activities as you would like to create.
Video: New with Visual Studio 2013: Manage portfolio backlogs to understand the scope of work
New with Visual Studio 2013 is the ability to manage portfolio backlogs to help you understand the scope of work that you have to do. In order to organise our work a little better we tend to create something called “Epics” that are representative of things that are too big for any single sprint and may be broken down into smaller items. However these ‘Epics” do not really continue to exist as all we really care about is the leaf nodes. We still need to understand things that are maybe always larger, like Features and Goals.
Modelling Teams in Team Foundation Server 2013
Do you know what to do with Areas, Iteration, Teams, Source Control, and Security when modelling Teams in Team Foundation Server 2013? There are a number of things that we need to take into consideration when modelling Teams in Team Foundation Server 2013 and enabling a method of work that supports all of our activities. Lets say that I have a single core product that is then further customised for many customers. In this circumstance, I have a number of Projects that are run against a single Customer that may have one or more teams. Each of these Projects exists on a single branch off of the Production branch for that customer and all work on that Project is completed against that branch.
![Issue [ TFS 2013 ] You need elevated privileges to install InRelease](/resources/blog/issue-tfs-2013-you-need-elevated-privileges-to-install-inrelease/images/puzzle-issue-problem-128-link-3-3.png)
Issue [ TFS 2013 ] You need elevated privileges to install InRelease
Installing InRelease 3 fails as you need elevated privileges to install InRelease When you try to install InRelease as part of your Team Foundation Server 2013 infrastructure you are allowed to fill out all of the fields and then you get a “you need elevated privileges to perform this installation. You can achieve this by running a command prompt”.
![Issue [ TFS 2013 ] You get TF400324 when connecting InRelease to TFS](/resources/blog/issue-tfs-2013-inrelease-you-get-tf400324-when-connecting-inrelease-to-tfs/images/puzzle-issue-problem-128-link-3-3.png)
Issue [ TFS 2013 ] You get TF400324 when connecting InRelease to TFS
If you follow the documentation for the new InRelease 3 for Team Foundation Server 2013 “TF400324: Team Foundation Services are not available from server” with a remote server error of 404.
![Issue [ TFS 2013 ] InRelease account requires make requests on behalf of others](/resources/blog/issue-tfs-2013-inrelease-account-requires-make-requests-on-behalf-of-others/images/puzzle-issue-problem-128-link-5-5.png)
Issue [ TFS 2013 ] InRelease account requires make requests on behalf of others
When you try to configure InRelease to connect to your Team Foundation Server 2013 Team Project Collection you get an error message saying that you are unable to connect because you need to be able to requires make requests on behalf of others.
Does your company culture resemble Survivor?
Does your company culture resemble Survivor? Do you have a culture in your organisation where individuals that help others are considered slackers for not getting their own assignments complete? If you are trying to achieve agility it is imperative that your team members work together to solve problems. I am not saying that you have to do pair programming but you have to have a culture where collaboration and working together is the norm. This is one of the two main roadblocks to agility ( the other one being requirements management) that companies hit time and time again early in their agile adoptions.
![Issue [ TFS 2013 ] TF50309 when configuring features in Team Foundation Server 2013](/resources/blog/issue-tfs-2013-tf50309-when-configuring-features-in-team-foundation-server-2013/images/puzzle-issue-problem-128-link-5-5.png)
Issue [ TFS 2013 ] TF50309 when configuring features in Team Foundation Server 2013
You may get a TF50309 when configuring features in Team Foundation Server 2013 and you are unable to complete the configuration. TF50309: The following account does not have sufficient permissions to complete the operation: The following permissions are needed to perform this operation: Manage process template.
Create a Portfolio Backlog hierarchy in Team Foundation Server 2013
There are many reasons that you would want to Create a Portfolio Backlog hierarchy in Team Foundation Server 2013 not least of which is modelling your existing processes. You can have a hierarchy five items deep with a parent child relationship between them. You will get a backlog for each one as well as cumulative flow and a board. This is awesome as you may have, for instance, Goals that break down into Feature. These goals would be the company or product goals and the features would be those things that go to achieve them.
Engaging with complexity - Team Foundation Server Edition
I have been engaging with complexity for a company in Silicon Valley that is doing one of the most complex Team Foundation Server migrations that I think I have ever seen.
