As the new year kicks off, now is a great time to upgrade your Visual Studio Team Foundation Server to 2015 (with Update 1) and have it ready for 2016 ahead.
Why Upgrade to Team Foundation Server 2015?
This new release of Team Foundation Server 2015 is jam-packed with over 25 new features and fixes that help your team develop software better by improving communication and collaboration throughout your software development process. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider upgrading to Team Foundation Server 2015:
New Cross-Platform Build Engine
Ready to build your apps, your way, for all your platforms? Then get ready for Team Foundation Build (TFBuild) 2015. This completely new cross-platform build engine builds for Windows, iOS, Android, Java (Ant, Maven, or Gradle), or Linux using the same domain-specific languages (DSL) you use every day on your dev machine.
Enhanced Kanban Boards
Microsoft greatly improved the usability of the TFS Kanban Boards with a variety of highly-requested enhancements, including the ability to add/edit directly from the Kanban board, reordering on the Kanban board, filtering across all data displayed on the Kanban board, the addition of swim lanes, splitting columns, and the ability to define “done” (known as Kanban DoD).
Support for Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
TFS 2015 introduces support for the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) that leverages the existing Agile, Scrum, and CMMI process templates. This includes support for the new Epic work item type, a backlog/board to track Epics, and the ability to specify between Business and Architectural work item types. And many more!
From Team Project Renames to Assigning Multiple Testers, there are many other new features in Team Foundation Server 2015 worth exploring. Check out What’s New in Team Foundation Server 2015 to see a listing of all the new features, bug fixes, and licensing changes.
Things to Consider Before You Upgrade
If you are considering upgrading to Team Foundation Server 2015, there are some crucial things to consider right from the start.
- First, Team Foundation Server 2015 includes major database schema revisions. This means that your upgrade to TFS 2015 can take a significant amount of time depending on the size of your database. To help reduce downtime when upgrading, Microsoft has developed a Team Foundation Server Pre-Upgrade Tool that prepares your database for update in advance. Knowing when and how to use this tool will be critical to your upgrade success.
- Second, when undergoing any Team Foundation Server upgrade, you never want to do it alone. Have a TFS expert by your side who has “been there, done that” many times before and who can help ensure a smooth and successful upgrade.
This is where the Imaginet Team Foundation Server experts come in.
TEAM FOUNDATION SERVER 2015 UPGRADE QUICK START
Minimize Downtime. Maximize Benefits.
We have helped over 650 customers around the globe with ALL of their TFS needs since the first version of TFS was released over 10 years ago in 2005. Imaginet’s 15-day Team Foundation Server (TFS) 2015 Upgrade Quick Start is designed to assist organizations transitioning from previous versions of Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server. Get started—schedule your Team Foundation Server 2015 Upgrade today!
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Team Foundation Server is a Microsoft product which yields source code management, reporting, requirements management, project management, automated builds, lab management, testing and release management capabilities. Team Foundation Server also delivers source control, work item tracking, Team Foundation Build, a team project portal Web site, reporting, and project management capabilities.