a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty: blog

Explores how to scale Scrum effectively by applying agile values, fostering professional teams, and adapting processes to fit unique organisational …

Explores the difference between mechanical and Professional Scrum, highlighting the importance of values, principles, and technical excellence for …

Learn how to rename a Team Project in TFS 2015, including step-by-step instructions, admin requirements, compatibility notes, and tips for minimising …

Step-by-step guide to installing and configuring TFS 2015, including system requirements, installation options, and setup of SQL Server and build …

Step-by-step guide to upgrading a production TFS server to TFS 2015, including backup strategies, configuration tips, and handling common issues …

Explains how to resolve the "Unable to load task handler PowerShell for task VSBuild" error in TFS vNext builds, covering PowerShell versions and …

Plan your upgrade to Team Foundation Server 2015 as support for TFS 2010 ends soon. Prepare for major schema changes, lengthy upgrades, and new …

Schedule of public courses and events on Visual Studio ALM, TFS, DevOps, and Scrum in 2015 Q2, including live online training and key industry …

Explains how to use Build vNext's capabilities and demands system in VSO/TFS 2015 to match build agents with required tools and configurations for …

Step-by-step guide to creating a Build vNext build definition in Visual Studio Online, covering task setup, options, triggers, variables, and build …

Reflects on experiences with Professional Scrum, highlighting its impact on software development, team culture, training, and the challenges of …

Control and monitor your Azure virtual machines and cloud services from your phone. Start, stop, group, and track VMs easily to save time and manage …

Explains how Visual Studio Online streamlines enterprise software development with cloud-based tools, continuous updates, scalability, security, and …

Expert consulting and onsite training available in Visual Studio ALM, TFS, and Scrum, including project migration, course delivery, and backlog-driven …

Explains how to resolve a "Could not load file or assembly" error when configuring Build vNext Agent on Windows Server 2012 R2 with Visual Studio 2015 …

Learn how to set up a Build vNext Agent for Visual Studio Online or TFS 2015, including prerequisites, VM setup, agent configuration, and pool …

Learn how to set up and manage nested team structures in Visual Studio ALM and TFS using Area Paths or Team Fields for flexible project organisation …

Explains the benefits of Visual Studio ALM over alternatives like Git and Jenkins, detailing its comprehensive features for managing the entire …

Learn how to connect a machine to an Azure-hosted domain controller by configuring virtual networks, DNS settings, and joining the domain through …

Explains key scenarios, challenges, and tools for migrating from on-premise TFS to Visual Studio Online, including project consolidation, splitting, …

Explains how to generate and capture log entries in Release Management by using PowerShell's Write-Verbose with the -verbose flag, ensuring deployment …

Overview of improvements in Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Visual Studio Online (VSO), including updated features, cloud integration, and …

Step-by-step guide to setting up a standard Azure environment for Release Management, including VMs, storage, networking, and Application Insights for …

Step-by-step guide to building an automated Release Management pipeline for professional developers, covering build, deployment, environment setup, …

Learn how to set up a DNS server with a static IP for an Azure Virtual Network, enabling domain joining and name resolution for all connected virtual …

Explains how to resolve Microsoft Surface 3 boot issues by renaming the USB drive to "BOOTME", a required but undocumented step for successful USB …

Learn how to move an Azure virtual machine to a virtual network by deleting the VM, preserving its disks, and recreating it within the desired network …

Step-by-step guide to setting up a Domain Controller in Azure for Active Directory integration, including VM creation, configuration, and syncing with …

Step-by-step guide to installing Visual Studio 2015 alongside 2013 on Windows 10, including tips for avoiding common errors and ensuring …

Explains how to resolve TFS 2013.3 errors caused by case-sensitive state names in custom Test Suite work items, affecting older clients and process …

Learn how to enable seamless single sign-on for Visual Studio Online by integrating corporate identities via Active Directory and Azure, ensuring …

Explains how mismatched component versions in licences.licx files can cause build errors on TFS servers, and offers solutions for consistent automated …

Learn how to scale Scrum across your organisation, drive cultural change, and measure agile maturity with evidence-based practices in this hands-on …

Learn how to transfer MSDN benefits from a personal Microsoft ID to an organisational account by cancelling existing subscriptions and reactivating …

Explains how uncommitted changes in Git can prevent syncing with the server in Visual Studio, and highlights key workflow differences from traditional …

Overview of a session at NDC London demonstrating new features in Team Foundation Server and Visual Studio Online, with end-to-end ALM demos for .NET …

Learn how to move a VHD blob between Azure storage accounts using PowerShell, including authentication steps and handling private containers for …

Explains a Visual Studio Git bug causing merge conflicts during pulls with local commits, its workaround, and best practices for managing branches to …

Step-by-step guide to uploading, configuring, and deploying multiple training virtual machines in Azure using PowerShell, including troubleshooting …

Explores how Bruce Lee’s philosophy applies to Scrum and Agile, emphasising adaptability, simplicity, and creating flexible, tailored processes for …

A first-hand account of upgrading a Surface Pro 2 to Windows 10 Technical Preview, exploring Microsoft’s shift to agile development and continuous …

Step-by-step guide to installing TFS 2013.3 with SharePoint 2013 on Windows Server 2012 R2, covering prerequisites, configuration, troubleshooting, …

A personal account of taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to support Yorkhill Children's Charity, highlighting a family’s experience with childhood …

Step-by-step guide to migrating source code from Perforce to Git on VSO, covering repository setup, dependency management, build processes, and key …

Explains troubleshooting WITADMIN errors with TFS versions, highlighting the need for TFS 2010 SP1 or newer for compatibility with work item type …

Explains why treating bugs as tasks in Azure DevOps is an anti-pattern, its impact on transparency, quality, and planning, and offers guidance for …

Step-by-step guide to merging multiple TFS Team Projects into one, covering TFS Integration Tools setup, configuration, work item and source control …

Explains issues with Maven release perform in TFS workspaces, causes of build failures, and solutions for workspace mapping, concurrency, and label …

Explains the risks of the pick-n-mix branching anti-pattern in source control, its impact on code quality, and recommends feature branching and …

Personal reflections on Scottish independence, exploring self-determination, media bias, economic control, immigration, and the long-term value for …

Explains how to fix Maven release prepare failures in Jenkins with TFS by using .tfignore files to exclude generated files like release.properties …

A review of switching to the Dell Venue 8 Pro for frequent business travel, covering device performance, workflow changes, and practical pros and cons …

Explains how to permanently delete work items from TFS or VSO using witadmin or C# code, including safety tips and batch deletion for large numbers of …

Guide to running router firmware in a Hyper-V VM for reliable DHCP and internet access on restrictive networks, avoiding MAC/IP limits and external …

Learn how to use TFS Service Credential Viewer to generate service accounts for Visual Studio Online, enabling secure, automated access without …

Provides a step-by-step PowerShell script for migrating and updating TFS process templates, including customisations, work item types, categories, and …

Explains how to resolve "Access denied user needs label permission" errors in TFS by adjusting label permissions at the root folder to allow …

Step-by-step guide to importing Excel data into TFS with full history, using VBA to format records as HTML tables for the History field and ensuring …

Learn how to securely mask passwords in Jenkins logs when using Team Explorer Everywhere (TEE), preventing sensitive credentials from being exposed …

Guide to integrating Jenkins with TFS 2013 using the Team Foundation Server plugin, covering installation, configuration, and key differences from TF …