TFS 2008/eScrum: adding new categories to a product backlog item

Further to this post on installing TFS 2008 and eScrum, here's how you add new "product backlog item" categories to the TFS process template (which can then be chosen for a "product backlog item" in eScrum).

Open up Team Explorer and choose Process Template Manager:

Choose the eScrum process template and select download. Choose a local folder and this will create a tree of folders containing all the template information. Go to eScrum\WorkItemTracking\TypeDefinitions\

Edit ProductBacklogItem.xml and modify the FIELD name="category" section. We added two new items.

<FIELD name="Category" refname="Microsoft.eScrum.Common.Category" type="String" reportable="dimension">
    <HELPTEXT>Category of the Product Backlog Item</HELPTEXT>
    <ALLOWEDVALUES expanditems="true">
        <LISTITEM value="Overhead" />
        <LISTITEM value="Document" />
        <LISTITEM value="External" />
        <LISTITEM value="Feature" />
        <LISTITEM value="Deployment" />
        <LISTITEM value="Defect" />
        <LISTITEM value="New to discuss" />
    </ALLOWEDVALUES>
</FIELD>

Save the file, select team explorer - process template manager again and upload the new template dir to the server (when prompted just choose your local escrum folder to upload from). Your new product backlog item categories will now appear in all new projects you create.

Clarkey