MSF vs. ALM

Question

 

I just want to know what the future of the MSF, the relationship with ALM and if ALM replaced MSF and why Microsoft learning stop and retire all Microsoft official courses related to MSF despite of there is no new courses.
Course: 1846 Microsoft Solutions Framework Essentials
Course: 2710 Analyzing Requirements and Defining Microsoft .NET Solution

Thanks

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Answer 1

MSF 4.0 is a generic framework for managing IT projects (some use it to manage anything :-) ). The MSF-based methodologies, MSF for Agile Software Development, and MSF for CMMMi Process Improvement, were created as specializations of MSF for specific software development scenarios. Those metholodogies were provided to the public as guidance plus a process template that enacted them through Team Foundation Server.

MSF is an example of a SDLC, a software development lifecycle. ALM goes beyond SDLCs in that it deals with the whole product lifecycle, not just software development, but also maintenance, operations, and portifolio management.

With VSTS 2010 the MSF-based process templates have been upgraded with new functionality leveraging the new tool capabilities.

The courses you mentioned were created by Microsoft Learning based on MSF 3.0. MS Learning currently has no plans to create a replacement.

Answer 2

When I looked at the MSF 5.0 docuemtnation in vsts 2010 beta two, I found it uses Scrum vocab. it is really confusing.

Answer 3

When I looked at the MSF 5.0 docuemtnation in vsts 2010 beta two, I found it uses Scrum vocab. it is really confusing.

MSF v5.0 (TFS 2010) has replaced the agile template with what is essentially "MSF Scrum" (it's still called MSF Agile in the documentation, but is very different from the MSF Agile in MSF v4.0). It still includes MSF CMMI, but there is no doco yet.


History:

MSF v3.0 was mostly just a framework, without specific guidance.

MSF v4.0 (TFS) was still a framework, however it came with two template implementations - MSF Agile and MSF CMMI. There are also several third party templates, e.g. Scrum for TFS.