The organisation of projects in Azure DevOps is a crucial basis for project success. A key issue here is choosing the right area path structure, as it directly influences the clarity, flexibility and efficiency of your working methods. In this article, you will learn which options are available, which criteria are important and how you can make the best choice for your needs.
Why is the area-path structure important?
The area path structure in Azure DevOps determines how projects, teams and work items are organised. It influences:
- Clarity: The ability to clearly separate teams and projects.
- Flexibility: How dynamically work items and resources can move between projects.
- Reporting: The granularity and informative value of dashboards and Power BI analyses.
- Scalability: The ability to adapt to growing requirements and teams.
Choosing the right structure is essential for planning projects efficiently and completing them successfully.
Azure DevOps offers two frequently used approaches:
Programme/Project/Team
Programme structure:
- Programme
- Project
- Team
Advantages:
- Clear separation of projects and teams.
- Ideal for organisations that work on a project basis.
- Provides granular focus on time, cost and quality.
Disadvantages:
- Higher administrative overhead.
- Less flexible when teams work across projects.
Programme/Team
Structure:
- Programme
- Team
Advantages:
- Flexible, team-orientated way of working.
- Simple management, even with growing requirements.
- Well suited to agile organisations where teams work on several projects in parallel.
Disadvantages:
- Less clear separation of projects.
- Additional effort for project-specific reporting.
Criteria for choosing the right structure
Choosing the right structure depends on your requirements. Consider the following criteria:
- Clarity: How important is the separation of projects and teams?
- Scalability: Is your organisation growing and do you need an easily expandable structure?
- Detail: Do you need to track time, costs and quality at a granular level?
- Setup & maintenance: How much effort is acceptable for setup and maintenance?
- Flexibility: How dynamically should teams and resources be able to switch between projects?
- Reporting: Do you need project or team-based reports?
- Release planning: Do you plan releases for specific projects or globally?
- Power BI analysis: How important is detailed data analysis?
Value analysis: A tool for your decision
A benefit analysis can help you select the best area path structure. Evaluate each structure based on the criteria mentioned and weight them according to their relevance. This will give you an objective basis for your decision.
Recommendations for practice
Select ‘Programme/Project/Team’ if:
- Your organisation is project-oriented.
- You need detailed reports and analyses per project.
- projects are clearly separated from each other.
Select ‘Programme/Team’ if:
- Your organisation is team-oriented.
- flexibility and easy scalability are important.
- teams work across projects or projects are highly interdependent.
Conclusion
Choosing the right area path structure in Azure DevOps is not a one-size-fits-all decision. It depends on the specific requirements of your organisation, how projects and teams work and what goals you are pursuing. By clearly analysing the criteria and using tools such as the utility analysis, you can ensure that your structure is not only optimally suited for current projects, but also for future requirements.