My team have been using the Scrum for Team-System template for the Team foundation Server
First, I must recommend this template to anyone who use Both scrum methodology and TFS as its source control.
Second, I would like to share with you new features we thought that would help us perform better.

I adopt the way of writing requirements from the Scrum4TS Forum:

As a <role> I want to <goal> so that <reason>.

Feature 1:
As a product manager,
I want to have the ability to create User stories in TS,
So that we can manage our user stories there instead of manual cards.
** Some may say that the Product Backlog Items also can be used as User-Stories - but I think they lack some important fields.

Feature2:
As a scrum master\product manager,
I want to have an automated task board view at the TFS,
So that we can manage our tasks visually on screen instead.
of duplicating tasks both in TS and by hand on boards

Feature 3:
As a manager\scrum master\programmer
I want the ability to see the current sprint tasks (also current sprint stories or current sprint products,
So the programmers can easily watch only the given sprint tasks.
(how? we may create fields for the given tasks which holding its dates)

Feature 4:
as programmer,
I want the ability to see the prioritization of my tasks and not only the prioritization of the product backlogs,
So I should now from where to start

Let me know what you think about the lack of those features.

A few weeks ago Matan & I had the honor to participate in  a panel discussing pros&cons of the Team Foundation Server, This panel hosted by Sela & Microsoft at Microsoft buildings (Ra'anana).

Here are some of our thoughts:

• The Centric approach of get all the items (tasks, bugs, impediments, sprints, backlog) in one place and can easily connect to your code, and easily generate graphs from the already entered details - is a great approach and make life easier.
• Adding tests to your code, using the VSTS is easier. Also adding simple automated build and integrate your tests to run on your nightly builds.
• We are now implementing in two separated sites on the same code, and we doing the synchronization by our self.
  Orcas Gonna solve the disconnected server problem.

I am not telling you that this tool is perfect, it is absolutely has its weaknesses but I think that this is a good decision to choose it.

I must admit that the last few months of mine were faster than I can catch or even understand. Talking to smart people I've found out that those feelings won't gonna change I also understand that the problem won't be solved unless I do a few more thinking about my self:

• One of the main issues I want to concentrate in is the management:
• be aware of the team-players strengths&weakness(mine also).
• be aware of the team strengths-weakness
• Manage tasks\time better.

We always talking about the project getting too crowded till the end. I've seen this at any project\sprint I've been in.
Also I've heard this from every friend of mine in the show(IT)-business.

I will focus my post on managing the team better using the TFS.

After managing tasks on board while updating EPM manually (most of the time a-sync updates), I was tired of trying to keep the pace of my team. [they really work hard, fast & hard]

I've even tested the two built-in templates at the TFS (Agile & CMMI) and using another _Matan&Avi_Custom_Made_ template. I am proud to announce that I am finally gonna use the Scrum for TS publicly.

I've been testing Scrum4TS for a long time, watching the bugs that solved and the improvements in this template, I think that this is what we need right now in our team.

Here are some of the Pros (as I see it):

1. can track the whole tasks.
2. can track the exact time of work not only the planned one.
3. can manage tasks per sprint easily.
4. measure the goals for the management by the product backlog items that been done.

Letting you know more on the near future.

We are using the Team Foundation Server and we start using the Code-Analysis in our build process.
Migrate Code-Analysis: this option migrate a predefined Code-Analysis rules, so the team-leader can create a template Code-Analysis rules (from now on will be called: Team Code-Analysis) each programmer should click the Migrate Code-Analysis on his solution, (the result on the local solution will be called: Programmer Code-Analysis).

From MSDN: "The ability to migrate allows you to stay synchronized with the settings on the server.".

My co-workers told me that even when we create an empty Team Code-Analysis they still get annoying warnings for Security Rules, Usage Rules and more rules that I didn't turned on. After playing on and off with our solutions I found out that the migration will save the most strict rules.
for example:
 Team Code-Analysis: only Naming Rules
 Programmer Code-Analysis: Usage Rules
 At the end: the solution will have them both.

This all not so bad, the real problem starts when I changed the Team Code-Analysis templates:
We start the project with full rules, but realize very quickly that we cannot have them all, so we turned off most of them, and today we have only the Naming Rules.
But the solution itself: still holds the strict rules, so it will hold them all.

I am pretty sure that such behavior is by design, but I think that this one is not the best choice. why won't you ask me what I want to do with my migration...

One more tip:
If you have issues like this, it is not a great fun to tell all you programmers\Co-Workers to turn off the unwanted rules (each solution * each project).
The pragmatic approach: Those configuration will be saved locally under your BIN directory inside a file named: AssemblyName.dll.CodeAnalysisLog.xml, so all you should do is to make a sample solution and sent it to everyone, including a simple batch with xcopy to the right folders.

Enjoy.

After a long period of testing and customizing the Team foundation Server to our needs, We can finally say that we have a great results.

First, I would like to invite all of you: use the TFS it is a great tool and it will help you being more productive.
Second, Matan¹ and I thought about useful feature for the next release:

Inheritance in process templates (VSTS)
Background:
   We have two different systems: StandardWorld, AmazingWorld.
   We want to customize the bug work-item, for example, so each programmer\tester will not forget 
   writing important details.
   (for example: the user's profile which caused the error.
   Why? because in our system we would like to know the user's profile which produced the bug).
   But Hey, it is system-based, in StandardWorld, for example, we don't have profiles at all.

How do we gonna implement this today:
   Today we just create two different process templates (AmazingWorld-ProcessTemplate and 
   StandardWorld-ProcessTemplate) which are the same, but with different additions for each 
   system. For example: in AmazingWorld-ProcessTemplate we would add the special field to the 
   bug work-item.

The Problem:
   All the  known copy&paste errors, from the Software development, each minor change will reflect
   on two different places, and so on. 
   Think about your code, we always try to prevent the copy&paste operation.

Our Solution:
   Lets define inheritance between process templates.
   For example: StandardWorld will use the default template (the base template), and the 
                     AmazingWorld will use the extended template (the one with added features).
   The logic should be like this:
      For each new template we could choose if we want to inherit from other class/template or not.

Updated:
  I opened a lady bug at microsoft:
  http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=241462
  Vote for it.

Conclusion:
   We think that it will help us create more generic templates!
   Let me know what do you think about this?
   Is this a good feature for the next version?

¹A few words about Matan: he took this mission with his two hands (strong and big I might say) and lead the team to a better process. If you would like to ask more questions about the TFS do not hesitate.

It was a shiny morning (I think it was Sunday, the one before the last one), we tried to create a new project after we finished the installation. yes, it was the beta 3, and we actually installed this on our machines, we spent the whole day (Sunday) trying to figure out what we did wrong, the symptoms: After the installation finished we could not see the project site! no error had occurred!

we were really disappointed to start all over again. we even re-install windows again with no luck.

I read some dudes writing about installation of the release instead of the beta 3, so I talked to Eliaz to send me the disk, we actually got it last Sunday, starting enthusiastic to install it, of course that we start everything from scratch. we didn't make it, again!

so we start Google it up, using almost every log file in our server, and checking almost every error, we found out some great points and I'll share them with you:

1. We Made the beta 3 installation step by step, almost by the book, except for one little step: we didn't give SMTP server (Security master didn't let us). I am not sure but I think that the beta 3 must install the alert using SMTP, if we had one on the specified server it might solve the beta 3 problem.
2. It turns out that the disks we installed (Microsoft sent us) were beta (all of them)
   how to recognize the real TFS version? there are many ways (if you are shouting: written on the disk! you wrong, it isn't one of them), I'll post some of them:
   * The release version disk includes two directories that are not exists in the beta 3.
      (SQLServerKB, KB913393)
   * While installing the beta 3, in the TFS installation, you will get to a screen asking about the
      service and reports users, they both won't validate the password, while in the release
      version it will check validity of password, for example: try to put a space in the password,
      the release will show a message alerting that you cannot use space in your password...
   * If you won't install those KBs above (from the new two directories), the release version
      will alert you in the "system health check" step at the TFS installation,
      while the beta 3, will not check those dependencies (while they are actually a must)
   * After installing the TFS:
      1) Go to your IE click: http://YourServerName/ you should view a page under construction.
      2) Go to http://localhost:8080/services/v1.0/registration.asmx you will get a service, invoke
          it using an empty string.
      If they are, both, working you are in the right direction.
      BTW, for getting the real TFS Version you can, simply, download it from:
      Microsoft Download center - VSTFS Trial Edition
3. I recommend to install the TFS using Tim Erickson's post, he actually wrote every click in the installation process.
4. After reading step-3, I must add that Tim didn't mention the fact that you must install the SQLServerKB after the SQL Server installation step.
   If you didn't do this you will get an error while trying to install this hot-fix, something about a shared files that cannot be moved.
   All you have to do is:
   Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative tools -> services -> and stop the SQL Server Browser process. and continue the hot-fix installation.
5. In our place the passwords must include space (Yes, the Security master, again) so as I said I've got a validation error in the TFS installation phase, I make a simple workaround:
   define two new local users (YourMachine\local_TFSService & YourMachine\local_TFSReports) with your own simple passwords and continue the installation.
   It works perfect for me, but I read that local users will cause problems on connecting your server from other (remote Pc). I didn't check this yet, I worked on the same machine for now.
   I'll let you know:
   1) If it's true and what the problems.
   2) How to change the users after the installation (without removing everything).
      (after all I almost sure that those users saved in one of the TFS services)  

I know that it sounds scary, and I always read about people trying to solve different bugs, and strange unclear comments but it is worth it and with the release version it is also fun and simple.

Thanks to Elad & Yoav for all the nights we spent together helping each other to solve strange problems during this operation.

While reading my emails, I found out an email from Martin Woodward, who let me know some great new things about my first article about the TFS (Team Foundation Server - where to start?)

1. The company that ships the Eclipse plug-in is called "Teamprise".
2. The "TeamPlain" product is currently a web interface to Team Foundation Server from DevBiz.
3. You can see a great demo, for further information about the usage of this product.
4. You can download fully functional copy of the plug-in here.

Thank you Martin.

Most of us want to play&test our tools before we buy it or even give our word to the managers.
If you want to play with the Team Foundation Server and the client tools but you don't want to install everything, you could test the new features and play with project site with Microsoft Virtual Lab.

The Virtual Labs is a great way to learn and understand the dedicated subject you want to study.

Take this lab for learning the VSTS and TFS rolls
(in the middle you can find: "Architecting Connected Systems: Team Foundation Server New!").

My advice, to all  of you who want to learn this tool, take this lab again and again, play with the source control too, and try to configure the project site.

I really like the TFS, I think that it is a great tool which we can use to gather all our needs, it also can be customized to the team's need, but I still have some doubts on it.
Why? OK, so Everything is possible with this cool tool, but it could be hard (believe me, very hard...) sometime.

Here are my thoughts, we can easily create new working item and customizing the project work flow as you need, but what if we need to change an existing project that we already work on it?
For example, I have current project which I found that in one of my working items, I need one more (little) field, to fill for example: description of bug, I can't just do the regular download-change-upload operation, this operation works only for new projects!

I must admit, that I didn't hear about that feature before and therefore I preferred not to change existing projects, which cause me to prevent changing misbehaved items, or thinking a lot before creating new work-item.
But here I found two command line operations witexport, witimport.
witexport - export a single work item file.
witimport - import work item file.
and now you can modify existing project templates.

Anther question I asked myself is why this cool thing came only with command line tools? why should I learn all this stuff? so I've searched a little and find some great articles talking about VSTS Customization Toolkit which give us graphically manage of the process templates. no more XML Based for changing/creating work-items, we can play with this tool to see what we are doing.
I didn't play with this yet, but I read some great posts, so it sounds cool, I'll test it and let you know what I am thinking about it.

I've start learning about the Team Foundation Server (TFS), which looks as a great tool by now.

The first question every one asks me is how could I connect to the TFS, so the first and the simple way to do this is to install the TFS client (also named: Team Explorer), which can be found in the installation CD. This installation will give you the TFS Explorer window, which is pretty much the same as Server Explorer for the SQL-Server.
This is also can work as a stand alone Explorer for those of you who do not have the Visual Studio installed on their machine.

The second suggestion, for those who don't work with Visual Studio, like managers, you could see the project overview via the project portal, after all the TFS installation based on Share-Point Server.

My third suggestion is the Team Plain, here you can play with a demo, this tool provide your developers to access to the Team Foundation Server over web access. Team Plain also has new plug-in for Eclipse (someone heard JAVA?!) which also built with ... Java (I told you) and runs anywhere, even Linux, Mac OS etc.
So the Sky is the limit you can manage your projects with TFS, even when your organization is not MS-End-To-End-Based.
This cool tool ain't come for free but you can find more details in here.