The following major features are included in Team Foundation:

• Version control is for managing source code and other deliverables that require versioning.
• Work item tracking is for keeping tabs of such things as defects, requirements, tasks, and scenarios.
• Project management functions allow the shaping of a team project based on a user-specifiable software process and enable planning and tracking using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Project.
• Team build is for enabling a common process for building executable products.
• Data collection and reporting aids in the assessment of a team project's state based on information gleaned from Team Foundation tools.
• The Team Project Portal provides a central point of communication for a team project packaged as a Windows SharePoint Services site.
• Team Foundation Shared Services provide a number of common infrastructure services invisible to end users but important to tool-smiths and extenders.

On the other hand, Team Foundation is a platform specifically architected for integration and extensibility. Customers and partners can customize elements of Team Foundation and complement it with new functionality. Extensions can range from the very simple to the very complex. They can range from renaming a field in a work item to integrating an entirely new tool.

We'll cover the feature set and extensibility architecture later in the article. First, though, it's important to understand the general deployment topology of Team Foundation.

Next: The Shape of Team Foundation...

 

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