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it_user1375878 - PeerSpot reviewer
Test Lead at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Reliable, scalable, easy to use queries, and proper traceability
Pros and Cons
  • "As far as queries are concerned, creating, grading, or customizing the queries as a primary requirement is very easy to do."
  • "The dashboard and the customization of dashboards is an area they have to work on."

What is our primary use case?

We use TFS for test management. Our entire project management is done through TFS.

We have our test cases uploaded, and we use it for user story tracking and progress tracking.

TFS is on our client's VMs.

What is most valuable?

What I like is the backlog management, as it is very easy to track at the feature level and move onto the big level. It offers proper traceability for this and the features. 

As far as queries are concerned, creating, grading, or customizing the queries as a primary requirement is very easy to do. It's a user-friendly interface when working with queries.

What needs improvement?

TFS has to be more user-friendly. We could have some friendly dashboards, which I feel is missing here, where I can easily plug in the dashboard and use it. 

Part of the test case upload is there, but it's an addon that is not being used at this time.

Creating dashboards is complicated. The dashboard and the customization of dashboards is an area they have to work on. It needs to be improved.

I would like to see improved dashboards with easy plug and play. There should be multiple templates that would be easily and readily available where I can track and create my view.

This is what I feel is missing or needs improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with TFS for three years.

We are working with an up-to-date version.

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TFS
October 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

TFS is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

TFS is a scalable model. If I have to look into large projects, we have multiple agile teams having different backlogs. Having a view on this is rather scalable.

We have approximately 28 users for this current project, and we are using it on a daily basis.

We plan to keep using TFS.

How are customer service and support?

I have not had any instances where I needed to contact the technical support team.

It goes back to our install team and they address the issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I was working with Jira and QC. 

The change to TFS was because our client moved onto to TFS.

TFS is more stable and more scalable. We handling multiple projects using TFS. Usability is good and it's very easy for me to have traceability with a view on everything. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is done by our customer's IT team.

In our case, it's a matter of plug and play.

What other advice do I have?

In my opinion, I would say that TFS is more supportive of a large enterprise.

There is a lot of information available online.

The suitability of TFS depends on the requirements of the customer. If it is for Test Management, I would say that TFS is a product that they should consider if it's a large organization that has multiple or multi-thread implementations.

Overall, I would say it's fine and I would recommend it.

I would rate TFS and eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user711930 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Lead
Vendor
Easily create, update, and delete work-items from the code itself
Pros and Cons
  • "The API for managing TFS programmatically is very powerful, you can listen on work items changes by TFS events."
  • "Sometimes we feel that it need more CPU, and RAMs on TFS server, either we implemented the hardware with the product minimum requirements."

What is most valuable?

Source control, and work item tracking, from user experience, it is very easy to relate code versions with work items, and to track your changes easily from multiple interfaces "Visual Studio, TFS web browser."

Also, the API for managing TFS programmatically is very powerful, you can listen on work items changes by TFS events.

Also, you can easily create, update, and delete work-items from the code itself.

In addition, you can extend Visual Studio IDE by adding extensions that you can use with TFS API, to extend the work items module.

Microsoft provide a full BI solution for reporting , and analyze the TFS data in order to bring powerful reports for top management

Recent changes/upgrades that were made:

-New software processes was added.
-Ability to create custom dashboards for each team project on TFS web browser.
-Ability to integrate with Microsoft enterprise project management tool, which covers the gap between software process, and project management tasks

How has it helped my organization?

We implemented the scrum process in our company, and we used TFS as the main tool to manage that process.

We upgraded to TFS 2017, which has a lot of features for SCRUM process that can be managed from a web browser.

For how long have I used the solution?

For over seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes, sometimes we feel that it need more CPU, and RAMs on TFS server, either we implemented the hardware with the product minimum requirements.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No, it is very easy to scale it up.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't needed to contact them.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used before IBM Clear Quest, which had a very bad interface, was very expensive as they price per user, was very hard to modify screens, no flexibility to extend, and by the way it can only be integrated with IBM Clear Case source control.

TFS also is one license for multiple products "source control, work item, build management, reports" also it integrates easily with other products, by its powerful API.

Also it is not easy to find an IBM CQ , or an IBM CC consultant, while it is easier to find a TFS consultant.

How was the initial setup?

It is very straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Excellent, especially if you have an enterprise license agreement with Microsoft.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

See my prior answer about previous solutions used.

What other advice do I have?

Try to bring the latest version, TFS 2017.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
TFS
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about TFS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PeerSpot user
Software Development Manager at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
It helps us to manage our Scrum process, as well as continuous integration

What is most valuable?

The scrum template to manage our development process, as well as the continuous build and release functionality.

How has it helped my organization?

It helps us to manage our Scrum process, as well as continuous integration, but not much more than the previous product we used (JIRA).

What needs improvement?

Agile metrics/reporting (if you compare it to JIRA's functionality), as well as more/better customizable widgets to create richer dashboards.

I would really like to be able to see things such as cycle and lead times for issues, as well as be able to see the cumulative flow diagram on a dashboard.

We use the on-premise version of TFS, and I see that the cycle and lead time widgets are only available on the Team Services version.

I must admit that I don't like the fact that the on-premise versions are always behind the Team Services version. Do you maybe have an indication of when we can expect to have these widgets available in the on-premise version?

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using TFS 2017 for three weeks now. However, we have been on the previous versions (2013 & 2015) for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have had no need for any technical support so far. Should we require technical support, I don't know if it will be readily available in South Africa.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Yes, we used JIRA. Since we have to pay for Visual Studio, licenses for coding purposes (and these licenses included TFS) it did not make sense to continue paying for JIRA, even though I really liked the JIRA solution.

How was the initial setup?

We got an external consultant to help us with the initial setup so it was pretty straight forward. Since then I was able to make all the required changes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing and licensing model is still quite complex, as are all of Microsoft's products.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other options, but like I mentioned, we were using the Atlassian suite of products.

What other advice do I have?

Make sure that you understand Microsoft's licensing model and that you select the process templates that are most suitable to you when setting up the product for the first time. Different process templates have different reports that you can view.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Manager, Information Technology at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Scalable, reliable, and simple initial setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of TFS is integration."
  • "The solution should have better dashboards."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case for TFS is for sharing data.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of TFS is integration.

What needs improvement?

The solution should have better dashboards.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been at TFS for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

TFS is a stable solution, but it could be more stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of TFS is good.

We have approximately 200 users using this solution in my organization.

How are customer service and support?

I have not needed to contact the support, my team is very good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial installation is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We use one to two people for the implementation and support of the solution.

What other advice do I have?

I rate TFS a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user354774 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Project Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Pricing Is Better Compared To Other Leading Tools, Support/Help Could Be Improved

What is most valuable?

Reports for user stories statuses, hours logged, burn down charts, etc.

How has it helped my organization?

We are able to manage the work more effectively. Everyone has a current status at any given point of time.

What needs improvement?

Help on the site should be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

A year and half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Not as of now.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No.

How are customer service and technical support?

Have not reached out to technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used HP QC, then we moved to TFS because of the client's affinity towards TFS.

How was the initial setup?

Straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing is better compared to other leading tools.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No.

What other advice do I have?

This tool is good for agile projects, and it has all features which QC provides.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner with vendor.
PeerSpot user
it_user469371 - PeerSpot reviewer
Development Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Vendor
It has allowed us to continually maintain our code repository

What is most valuable?

We use the source code repository technology of TFS, we have Git repository in TFS, and also, have TFVC.

Git was introduced starting from TFS 2013. This allowed our team the flexibility on the source control preference.

How has it helped my organization?

This product has allowed us to continually maintain our code repository.

What needs improvement?

The product is mature. We use it as our primary on-premise source control for both Git and TFVC allowing the flexibility for different delivery team to use different source control that best suits them.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have just recently upgraded to this version of TFS, but have been using Microsoft Team Foundation Server for the last six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

If your plan on using on-premise, we would recommend you would resource your hardware/VM requirements appropriately to host Team Foundation Server.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There were no scalability issues.

How is customer service and technical support?

The product is mature, as we’ve upgraded our on-premise Team Foundation we’ve never had to engage technical support, as the upgrade process was seamless barring some minor issues here and there.

How was the initial setup?

There was no issue with the setup or upgrade path as both are well documented.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is now cloud offering of the Team Foundation Server known as Team Foundation Services for smaller companies/individuals to use, starting out with the free version for five users. I would recommend people review their requirements based on the size and resources; review them with the different offering that is now available from Microsoft.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

As the variant of this product was already in use, we followed the upgrade path as we are Microsoft Gold Partners.

What other advice do I have?

Now, there is the cloud offering of Team Foundation Server which is known as Visual Studio Team Services which would suit those who do not want to maintain the on-premise version and is free for up to five users.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are Microsoft Gold Partners.
PeerSpot user
it_user302907 - PeerSpot reviewer
Programmer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Consultant
Because everything is stored in the cloud, I'm able to compare and restore my unfinished work with the shelving changes feature.

What is most valuable?

The version control itself (version history, branching and merging), shelving change and build server.

How has it helped my organization?

With TFS online, now everything is in the cloud, it is tidy and easy to compare and restore, especially my unfinished work, where I use the shelving changes feature. It's very useful.

What needs improvement?

I can't see any major improvements for now. Maybe the comparing tool is too simple, but I'm using an alternative, so I have no problem at all.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've used it for five years, basically for source control. I used work items once for a very short time, so I can't consider it as "used".

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've not had to use it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I had to use TFS because it was there in the companies where I worked, but I also used CVS and Git. I think that TFS is easier because it is already integrated with Visual Studio, if you are using Visual Studio.

How was the initial setup?

I've never setup a TFS server.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

if TFS was completely free (not limited to five members for online), I would suggest using it, but the price for extra members is too expensive in my opinion and is worth it only if you are using Visual Studio, otherwise other solutions can do basically the same (talking only about source control).

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user298437 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Developer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
Work items allows easier tracking for risks, bug and issues, and tasks.

What is most valuable?

  • Source control
  • Work items
  • Team build

How has it helped my organization?

  • It's easy to implement agile methodology, updated and uniform code on work spaces.
  • Work items allows easier tracking for risks, bug and issues, and tasks.

What needs improvement?

As of now, TFS delivers what we need on the project/business.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used it for seven years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

I haven't needed their help yet.

Technical Support:

I haven't needed their help yet.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

For source control, I've used SVN Tortoise before. TFS is more useful, organized and user-friendly.

How was the initial setup?

Straightforward. Usually no issues being encountered when setting up.

What about the implementation team?

We used a vendor team from Microsoft.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We're partners of Microsoft
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free TFS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free TFS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.