Just Launched! — Enhanced Aha! Integrations With Microsoft VSTS and TFS

Microsoft Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) and Team Foundation Server (TFS) users rejoice. The most flexible integration between Aha! and these popular development tools is here. You now have full control over the way information flows between Aha! and VSTS or TFS — including faster imports, deeper customizations, and automatic updates.

You probably remember from our recent Jira and Rally announcements that we built a powerful new integrations framework. This allows you to create bidirectional connections between Aha! and development tools, with custom options for linking the fields in both systems. It provides the most comprehensive integration capability ever available between product roadmapping software and development tools.

Here is an overview of the functionality that the new integrations framework provides:

• Set record mappings for Aha! initiatives, releases, master features, features, and requirements and link them to nearly any corresponding record type.

• Map default or custom fields in Aha! to any similar field and specify which direction the updates should flow (e.g., from Aha! or from the development system).

• Automatically send outgoing changes from Aha! or choose to review and approve them first.

• Import records directly from development tools to make getting started in Aha! easy.

• Save configuration options as a reusable template for future integrations.

The new integrations framework dramatically improves how Aha! connects with development tools — and it is now available for VSTS and TFS.

To benefit from the enhanced functionality, you will need to create a new integration with VSTS or TFS or convert your existing integration from 1.0 to 2.0. Note that if you already have an integration set up with either of these systems, you can continue to use your existing 1.0 integration.

Take a look at what is new with the enhanced Aha! integrations with VSTS and TFS:

Customize how records and fields sync You now have full control over which record types are sent from Aha! to VSTS or TFS. This lets you customize how initiatives, releases, master features, features, and requirements in Aha! correspond with records in your development tool. You can also map default and custom fields between both systems and set the direction of the updates.

Update: The position field in Aha! is now called rank.

Automatically send updates to engineering You can now configure your integration to automatically send changes from Aha! to VSTS or TFS. With this option enabled, any changes made by the product team in Aha! are immediately seen by the engineering team in VSTS or TFS.

By default, changes are automatically sent from Aha! to VSTS or TFS. But you can configure your integration to only send reviewed and approved changes.

Review and import new records When the engineering team begins work on a feature, it is not unusual for new features and requirements to be added as work progresses. Now, when engineering creates new records in VSTS or TFS, they are collected in an “Integration updates” queue in Aha! where you can review and determine if you want to import.

Integration updates can be filtered by product name, record type, or specific integration.

Build a roadmap using existing records You can also now easily import existing records from VSTS and TFS into Aha! This lets you quickly build a roadmap using records already defined in your dev system. Once imported, the Aha! integration automatically links corresponding records so that both systems stay in sync as you make changes.

Control which record types to import to Aha! from VSTS or TFS based on your defined record mappings. You can also link Aha! records to existing VSTS or TFS records.

Our powerful new integrations framework redefines what is possible when you connect Aha! with development tools such as VSTS and TFS.

The new functionality gives you rich customization options so you can configure your integration to match exactly the way your team works. Stay tuned as we continue to roll out additional integrations for other tools in the coming months.

Sign up for a free Aha! trial — be happy The enhanced Microsoft Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) and Team Foundation Server (TFS) integrations are available to all Aha! customers. If you are not already an Aha! customer, you may want to sign up for a free 30-day trial of Aha! now to see why over 150,000 users trust Aha! to set product strategy, create visual roadmaps, and prioritize releases and features.

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