Developing quality software is always a challenge. Your ultimate goal is to produce a solution which meets the specification drawn from interactions with a client. Between the first interaction and the final delivery, a lot of stitching is required.
Current development environments are not very tightly integrated. There may be a document repository, a source control server, and a number of development tools at the minimum. The problem lies with the efficiency of getting to the important information or linking code to tasks or bugs (and likewise back to the code).
Microsoft`s Team Foundation Server (TFS) solves a lot of the above issues although not without some caveats.
TFS essentially integrates a project portal, source control, task management, issue management, code quality control, and solution builds in a single interface - the Team Explorer which is an add-in for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005.
Adjustments to the software development process will be needed but the changes are not without merit. Built-in development methodologies are CMMI based software development and agile software development process. Custom development methodologies can be added that are more suited to the way your company produces software.
TFS allows you to create a portal per solution where documents can be stored and accessed by opening the portal from the development environment. This is a lot easier than opening your browser and accessing the portal through your favourites list - if you remembered to put it there or can find it in your well managed favourites list.
The portal does not necessarily need to be used as documents (eg, the project plan) are accessible via the team explorer. I find the SPS document store cumbersome to use at times.
A source control repository is created per project. This enforces logical grouping of items that require source control with the solution being developed. When using the TFS source control system, work items (eg tasks and bugs) can be linked to specific versions of code or change sets in the repository. This makes tracking of code changes related to a task or bug fix a lot easier.
A caveat with the new source control is the inability to "share" source code between projects. Microsoft maintains that the better method is to branch items into different projects then merge any changes when required. In the ideal world, this makes sense but in practice, this could reduce productivity especially when there are a large number of branches to merge.
Policies can be applied to code on check-in to enforce coding standards, test the code before check-in or ensure that the code is associated with a work item. Custom policies can be added if required (although a policy to enforce check-in comments is lacking. See the forums for help on how to implement this).
Tasks can be created in the system and assigned to team members. Task types include tasks, bugs, risks, scenarios, and quality of service. The tasks can be organised using the integration with Microsoft Project 2003. Issues can be tracked using the integrated Microsoft Excel 2003.
In conclusion, TFS provides a more integrated approach to software management that has been lacking in past Microsoft solutions. The new product can assist with enforcing a solution development methodology so that higher quality code is produced, development is managed better and the tool integration should increase productivity.
The new source control system is finally something Microsoft can be proud of - SourceSafe was hardly a source control system and should finally be laid to rest.
The value of TFS can only be realised by using it correctly (as is the case with any tool). This may be a challenge for teams that have not been following a formal design policy but as stated before, the benefits of change will be worthwhile in the long-term.
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nVisionIT is at the forefront of solution innovation on the Microsoft platform. Customers include leaders in distribution, facilities management, financial services, healthcare, insurance, IT services and telecoms.
The company, part of the proudly South African initiative and a Technology Top 100 finalist, is a Microsoft Gold Partner and has won national and global awards for its expertise in .Net solution architecture and development. More recently the company won the Custom Development Solution for 2005 award from Microsoft as well as being a finalist for Integrated e-Business and Information Worker Solution.
nVisionIT realised the move towards empowerment through the black-owned IT infrastructure solutions and software licensing provider, Enterprise Connection which acquired a 25.1% equity stake in nVisionIT. This leveraging of respective competencies is delivering real benefits to customers.
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