Azure DevOps Workflow

Work Item Types

Type	Purpose
Product Backlog Item (PBI)	Deliverable feature or change
Spike	Time-boxed investigation

Both follow the same workflow states.

Work Item States

code

New → Ready → In Progress → Awaiting Merge → Merged → Done
                  ↓
              Blocked

State	Description	Assignment
New	Not yet refined	Unassigned
Ready	Available to pick up	Unassigned
In Progress	Actively worked on	Assigned
Blocked	External dependency	Remains assigned
Awaiting Merge	PR created	Remains assigned
Merged	PR merged	Remains assigned
Done	Released	Remains assigned

Valid Transitions

Picking up: Ready → In Progress (normal), New → In Progress (unusual), Blocked → In Progress (resuming)

During development: In Progress → Blocked, In Progress → Awaiting Merge

Cannot pick up: Items in Awaiting Merge, Merged, or Done

Branch Naming

Format: backlog/{workitem_id}-{short-description}

•Lowercase, hyphen-separated, 3-5 words
•Remove repository hints: [interest_accrual] Add X → backlog/12345-add-x

Repository Hints

Work item titles may include [repository_name] prefix. Verify current working directory matches before starting.

Predecessor Validation

Before picking up, check Predecessor links. Warn if any predecessor is not in Merged or Done:

code

⚠️ Incomplete predecessors:
| ID | Title | State | Assigned To |

PR Linking

Link using AB#12345 or full URL. Creates bidirectional link.

Default Branch

Check for main first, fall back to master:

bash

git fetch origin
git rev-parse --verify origin/main >/dev/null 2>&1 && DEFAULT="main" || DEFAULT="master"
git checkout $DEFAULT && git pull origin $DEFAULT
git checkout -b backlog/{id}-{description}

MCP Domains

•core — Project/team info
•work — Iterations, backlogs
•work-items — Work item CRUD
•repositories — Git, branches, PRs

Use batch tools for multiple updates.