Impediments in the Backlog

For some time I have wanted to be able to see impediments/issues in the backlog.

In lieu of that, I often create a query and expose it on a dashboard as a tile, configured to be green by default and Red when the count > 0.

However having to switch over to a dashboard to see if there are impediments/issues blocking a story is just annoying. Having them right there in my the backlog would be great. Well I have good news for you.

In sprint 172 Microsoft started a private preview of a new feature that allows us to add Impediments to your backlog.

More specifically here is what you will be able to add to the backlog, depending on your process template.

Just add the work item type in your inherited process “Backlog Levels”. Under Organization settings select process. If you are already using an inherited process select it. If not, you should be, a discussion for another article.

Once you open the inherited process go to Backlog Levels. Under “Other work item types” you can see the work item types available to added to a backlog.

Bugs of course are handled per team by changing a teams settings:

You can add the Impediment to one of the Backlog levels. Lets say you want Impediments to show up on the Requirement backlog. Click on the ellipsis next to the backlog you want to add it to and select Edit/Rename from the context menu that appears.

The “Edit backlog level” dialog will open, as you can see the impediment is listed there ready to be selected for this backlog level.

Select Impediment and Save.

Now go to your backlog. You will notice the impediment work item type shows up under “New work item” in your backlogs toolbar.

Create an impediment and voila, there it is in your backlog.

If you are interested in previewing this feature, please send an email with your organization name to have it turned on for your organization.