About this Agile with ADO course
Our Agile development with Azure DevOps training course will give you hands-on experience with Microsoft’s popular agile project delivery platform.
Guided by an experienced practitioner, you’ll learn how to navigate projects, create issues, set up Product Backlogs, Scrum and Kanban boards, and report on crucial aspects of your project such as Burndown and Velocity.
Teams who are already using Azure DevOps typically refer to it as ADO - it's worth noting that it's not to be confused with the older ActiveX Data Objects (aka ADO.NET)
If you are looking to employ ADO to enhance project delivery within your organisation, get in touch to find out how we can tailor a custom workshop that really focuses on getting the most out of ADO.
Online and in-house face-to-face options are available - as part of a wider customised training programme, or as a standalone workshop, on-site at your offices or at one of many flexible meeting spaces in the UK and around the World.
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By the end of this course, attendees will be able to:
- Structuring you Product Backlog
- Set up Teams to collaborate on work
- Create and manage long-term indicative plans
- Support the Sprint planning process and other team work
- Monitor productivity and build meaningful dashboards
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This course is aimed at Agile Project managers, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Agile teams, Developers, Test engineers and can also be customised to accommodate other types of team who need to work with parts of the platform (e.g. digital creatives, marketing).
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An understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum or Kanban) and techniques (Feature and User Story breakdown) would be helpful to get the best from the course, but we can incorporate coverage of these as required for custom courses.
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This Agile with Azure DevOps course is available for private / custom delivery for your team - as an in-house face-to-face workshop at your location of choice, or as online instructor-led training via MS Teams (or your own preferred platform).
Get in touch to find out how we can deliver tailored training which focuses on your project requirements and learning goals.
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Review: How tools support Agile teams
Introduction to Azure DevOps (ADO)
Brief history of the platform
Overview of key functions - how developers, ops and testers use ADO
Key concepts - Teams, Areas, Iterations, Work Items, Backlogs
Getting around ADO
Logging in / Access
Navigating the main menus
Managing the Backlog
Creating
Structuring
Navigating
Visibility
Teams
Area Paths
Long-term indicative planning
Kanban
Feature timeline
Sprint planning
using iterations
the sprint board
the burndown chart
Communicating results
Building Queries
Creating ADO Dashboards
Producing Governing metrics
Getting started with your team
Assigning roles
Planning your first Sprint with ADO
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What is Azure DevOps used for?
Azure DevOps is Microsoft's platform for planning, tracking, developing, testing, and delivering software. It combines project planning, backlog management, source control, automated build and deployment pipelines, testing, and reporting within a single platform. Teams can use as much or as little of the platform as they need; from simple work tracking through to full DevSecOps automation.
Is Azure DevOps suitable for Project Managers and PMOs?
Yes. While Azure DevOps is often associated with software development teams, many organisations use it for project planning, backlog management, sprint tracking, reporting, and governance activities. Project Managers and PMOs can use Boards, Queries, and Dashboards to gain visibility into delivery progress, risks, blockers, and team workload without needing deep technical knowledge.
Do I need to be a software developer to use Azure DevOps?
No. Azure DevOps is widely used by Project Managers, Product Owners, Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, Delivery Managers, and PMO teams, as well as software developers. Many users work exclusively with backlogs, boards, dashboards, work items, and reports rather than source code or deployment pipelines.
What is the difference between Epics, Features, User Stories, and Tasks?
These work item types help organise work at different levels of detail:
Epics: Represent large business initiatives.
Features: Break an Epic into major deliverable capabilities.
User Stories: Describe individual pieces of customer or business value.
Tasks: Represent the specific work required to implement a User Story.
Understanding how these items relate is one of the most common challenges for new Azure DevOps users and is a core part of effective planning and reporting.
Can Azure DevOps replace spreadsheets and status reports?
In many cases, yes. Azure DevOps provides dashboards, queries, and built-in reporting capabilities that give stakeholders real-time visibility into project delivery. This reduces the need for manually maintained spreadsheets and ensures everyone works from a single source of truth.
How does Azure DevOps support Agile delivery?
Azure DevOps includes tools for backlog management, sprint planning, Kanban boards, work item tracking, capacity planning, burndown reporting, and velocity tracking. These features help teams visualize work, prioritize effectively, and maintain transparency throughout the delivery lifecycle.
Does Azure DevOps work with Scrum, Kanban, and hybrid approaches?
Yes. Azure DevOps supports several delivery approaches, including Scrum, Kanban, Agile, and hybrid models. Work item types, boards, and workflows can be tailored to reflect how your organisation operates rather than forcing you into a single rigid methodology.
Can Azure DevOps be integrated with Microsoft 365 and Power BI?
Yes. Many organisations integrate Azure DevOps with Microsoft 365 tools and Power BI to create executive management dashboards, portfolio reporting, and cross-departmental visibility. This connects delivery metrics directly with broader organizational reporting processes.
What are the most common Azure DevOps mistakes?
Common implementation pitfalls include:
Inconsistent use of work item types
Over-complicated workflows and approval states
Poor backlog hygiene and stale data
Using Azure DevOps as a simple task list rather than a delivery management tool
Lack of reporting standards across teams
Excessive permissions or unclear governance
Establishing a clear structure and governance model early leads to higher adoption rates and more reliable reporting.
How much Azure DevOps knowledge does a Project Manager need?
Most Project Managers do not need to understand source control, branching strategies, or CI/CD pipelines in detail. However, they must understand work item hierarchies, backlog management, sprint planning, dashboards, queries, and stakeholder reporting to manage delivery effectively.
What will I be able to do after completing Azure DevOps training?
Depending on the level of course customisation you may have chosen, you'll learn how to:
Navigate Azure DevOps projects, teams, and security permissions
Create and manage Epics, Features, User Stories, Tasks, and Bugs
Prioritise, refine, and break down backlogs
Plan sprints and manage team capacity
Configure Kanban boards and custom workflows
Create reusable queries, filters, and charts
Build interactive dashboards for stakeholders and PMOs
Improve delivery transparency across the organization
Can Azure DevOps help improve project visibility for senior stakeholders?
Yes. Properly configured dashboards, queries, and portfolio views provide delivery teams, programme managers, PMOs, and senior leaders with a shared, real-time view of progress, risks, dependencies, and delivery trends. This drastically cuts down on manual status reporting while supporting faster, data-driven decision-making.
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https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/devops - get started with ADO
https://agilemanifesto.org/ - read the original Agile Manifesto
https://scrumguides.org/ - read the Scrum Guide over a nice cup of tea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban - learn the history of Kanban
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