Team Explorer -vs- TFS Web Access

Question

I'm the dev manager working on a project where the development team (remote) is using VSTS 2005. We're using a flavor of Scrum as our dev methodology. We're currently using a Sharepoint to enter and track bugs - certainly not ideal but workable. Reports and charts, like a burndown chart, bugs open/closed are created by the dev team using VSTS and emailed to me.

I'm thinking of making a change to user either VSTS Team Explorer or TFS Web Access to enter and manage bugs, view reports, ..., etc. The standard project management tasks.

Questions:
1. Which should I use and why
2. What are the tradeoffs

Thanks

Answer 1

Hello,

 

In my opinion, for developers and testers Team Explorer is better solution because they use Visual Studio in their everday work. This integration can be even more natural if your development team uses TFS to check-in code and if you setup links between code check-in and work items.

On the other hand, for project managers, business analysts, etc. TFS Web Access will be better solution - in this scenario, they do not need Team Explorer on their workstations. Anyhow, for reporting Team Explorer is pretty useles...

 

If third-party solutions are acceptable in your environment, take a look at TeamDef from www.ApplicationAspect.com.

 

 

nrasinec

 

Answer 2

Like Ninoslav said, you can use both based on the user. The Team Explorer integration is better for developers and the web access is useful for people who do not need to install Team Explorer for anything other than work item tracking. And it is not that Team Explorer is useless for reports, Team Explorer does give you access to existing TFS reports, the same reports you would be access from the web based UI because all TFS reports are actually in a SQL Server Reporting Services site and are accesible from either UI. You can also get to the work item tracking system  via MS Excel and MS Project professional (version 2003 and up).

 

Hope this helps.

 

-OmarV

Answer 3

Omar said "the web access is useful for people who do not need to install Team Explorer for anything other than work item tracking"

I'd want to do more than workitem tracking. I will have no need to check in/out code but will want to track progress through bug reports, burndown charts, release contents (i.e. which bugs are fixed in a release), ..., etc. Is that within you defintion of workitem tracking?

So, from an Angile/Scrum project management and tracking point of view, it sounds like TFS Web Access would be at least as good, if not better choice, than Team Explorer. Agree?

I saw on the TFSWA download page the statement "You must be a licensed user of Team Foundation Server to access Team System Web Access". Do you happen to know what the per-seat license is for a TFS license? A Team Explorer license is approx $500 retail.

Thanks

Answer 4

 

Hi

 

I gather from your current requirments that since you are intrested in mainly looking for Tracking and Reporting , Web Access suites you better than Team Explorer , one of the glitch is you do need a CAL license to access the Team Web Access , moreover on the machine where you will install Team Web Access you need to have TFS Explorer 2008 installed.

 

All in all Web Access seems to be a better choice (Team access do have some value added features e,g emailing woktiems by selectiing them , emailing workitem queries etc , that are  not directly available in Team Explorer!).

 

Licensing is complex in most cases to say the least, you may want to contact some MS personal to get the complete picture for your case. I also encourge you to read THIS white paaper on Team System Lisencing.

 

Best Regards

Razi

Answer 5

Just to add to the whole "license" discussion, if you're using the "Standard" (i.e. not the "Workgroup") Edition of TFS and your end users have only the following requirements:

• Create work items
• Query work items they've created
• View work items they've created
• Update work items they've created

Then they do not need a separte CAL to use TFSWA.  Check out this post for more details.

 

Based on your comments above, you definitely want to do more than just work item tracking.  However, if you do have a certain group of users with only the above requirements, it may save you some license fees.

 

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

If you use webaccess you can buy a plugin easy to use it`s call UrbanTurtle you can find it at : www.urbanturtle.net