subject: Software Development Project Tracking With Team Foundation Server [print this page] While starting up any project it is very important to look into all the minute details of the project and then formulate a model on which it will be carried out. For these there are many sets of guidelines which are followed by IT companies worldwide. An effective strategy entirely depends on the type of project and the skills of development team. Project management with clarity and strict timelines is always the best option to opt. It not only provides with successful delivery but also makes sure it is on time. Thus, it would be advisable to go for proper planning before embarking on any project.
There are many tools available in market which helps in tracking a project. It is required for a project so that the project manager and client both are well aware of the progress and issues that may arrive during the course of development. In this way the senior authorities involved in the project will be able to plan risk management in a better way. One such tool which is widely used among IT companies is Visual Studio"s Team Foundation Server. This package can be used to track projects, collection of data, reporting and source code control. This tool is specifically made for software development projects as they require managing resources from team members situated at distant locations.
The main feature which segregates every individual developer"s progress is "work item". Each work item consists of various fields which are used to manage, maintain and assign a task to the individual. It can be used to control all the tasks and schedule each of them with timely notifications. The project can be stored in history for all the events and tasks that took place for further enquiries or suggestions. It contains different templates which can be used in the setup process. The TFS can be easily integrated with other Microsoft tools like excel and word to form spreadsheets and documents which can assist in the process.
The spreadsheets made for the software development project are sent to the Team Foundation Server which then transfers and stores it into the project manager. The TFS is connected to an SQL database wherein all the information exported to TFS server is stored. It can store all the check in and check outs simultaneously and gives track for all the progress that has taken place. All the source code is stored on the database along with all the documents which are useful for software development services project. All the documents can be made to access by specified persons only for modifications or any other purpose.
The best feature about this tool is the reporting facility that it provides which enhances the project flow by documenting all the issues in the form of bug report. These reports are built using the SQL server report service which can be further transferred using different file formats and reporting procedures. The major formats which are supported for reporting are pdf, xml, excel and tiff. A software development company can easily communicate with all the teams and its developers situated at various places and record the events for showing the progress report to the client. A better planning and regular communication will eventually lead to successful completion of the project.
