about the technology

In complex software projects, managing the development process can be as critical to success as writing the code itself. A project may involve dozens of developers, managers, architects, testers, and customers, hundreds of builds, and thousands of opportunities to get off-track. To keep tabs on the people, tasks, and components of a medium- to large-scale project, most teams use a development system that allows for easy monitoring, follow-up, and accountability.

Microsoft Team Foundation Server 2008 (TFS), the server component of Microsoft's Visual Studio Team System (VSTS), provides a powerful collaborative platform for software-development teams. The product offers an integrated toolset for tracking work items, creating test cases, managing source code, generating builds, constructing database schemas, and so on. Because in software development one size does not fit all, TFS provides process customization, project management, and reporting capabilities to build solutions around your requirements.

what's inside

• Detailed, bottom-up solutions to real-life problems using TFS
• TFS for database professionals
• Visual Studio 2008 TFS

about the author

Jamil Azher has over 18 years of experience in software development ranging from hands-on programming, global project management, technology leadership, and entrepreneurial ventures. He currently works as a technology architect at Microsoft Corporation in Silicon Valley. Over the years, Jamil has coached members of the technical staff, created architecture of major products and services, developed technology plans for venture funding, supervised development of globally-distributed applications, and interacted with many diverse organizations regarding technology strategy and roadmap. Jamil has a master's degree in IT from Harvard and a bachelor's degree in engineering from Caltech. He is the author of Global Outsourcing using VSTS, published by Thomson Delmar Learning.