TFS 2010 Team Projects

Question

I would like to know what is the concept of Team Project in TFS 2010. In my company, there is a single team working on multiple products at the same time. There is a visual studio solution for each product. We are following SCRUM methodology. Our product back log and sprint back log basically comprises of items related to multiple products, so during the sprint the team works on backlog items relating to multiple products. We are looking forward to use SCRUM Process template for TFS 2010.

I was wondering what approach should i take in terms of organising the projects in TFS Source Control and making full use of the TFS Process Template(SCRUM)?

• Should I create a Team project for each product? But that would mean I will have to maintain process template, product backlog and sprint backlog for each Team project. Especially when creating and querying work items, it will involve lot of switching between team projects in team explorer. Similarly, when creating burn down charts/reports, there is going to be one for each of the Team project. This seems like a nightmare!

• Or should I create one Team project and put all the products(Visual Studio solutions) under it? This sounds better to me because, there will be one process template, one product and sprint backlog and one place to look at/query all work items.

To me it seems like Team project should map to a Team and not to a Product or Visual Studio Solution. However in my past experience, I have come across places where Team Project is mapped to product/visual studio solution and I am a bit confused.

Answer 1

The term "Team Project" is confusing. I really wish Microsoft had used a different phrase.

Having said that, I don't know what other word or phrase would apply.

1. A Team Project does not necessarily correspond to a Visual Studio project or solution
2. A Team Project certainly doesn't correspond to what SourceSafe used to call projects (those were just folders)
3. A Team Project doesn't necessarily correspond to a single source control tree. The people working on a Team Project may use code from multiple source control trees (assuming this can be mapped into your workspace correctly).
4. A Team Project more closely corresponds to an endeavor of some kind. This may or may not involve some source code. It will involve some people. It may or may not involve some work items, or builds, or reports, or portal sites, or lab environments, or any combination of those artifacts that are scoped on a per-team-project basis. These will usually be artifacts that will be useful to some "Team" in accomplishing their "endeavor" (which may just happen to ba a matter of producing and releasing some code, using the help of work items, reports, source control, builds, etc.)

Answer 2

I would advise you to create one team project and multiple folders for different solutions. In other words leave your work as it is and create just one team project.When checking in products codes use server folders. This way you have a unique repository with shared work items and reports