How To Create a New Process Template?

What is Process Template?

The Process Template is used to create Team Projects and contain 6 main parts:

1. Classification - Defines a team project's initial iterations and areas and contains the mapping file between the Team System and the MSProject.
2. Groups and Permissions - Defines a team project's initial security groups and their permissions.
3. Work Item Tracking – Contains the Work Item types definitions, initial queries definitions and you can define default work items.
4. Windows SharePoint Services - Defines the project portal for the team based on a SharePoint site template, template files and process guidance.
5. Reports – Sets up the report site with default reports.
6. Version Control - Defines a team project's initial version control security permissions, and check-in notes.

Each one of these sections is configurable in order to make it as close as possible to your organization’s process.

Lets say you have more than one Team Project or see that in the future you will need to create more Team Projects that will need the same customizations.

Out of the box there are two Process Templates one for CMMI and one for Agile most of the times you will need to make changes in these configurations in order to make them as close as possible to your process.

So how do you create a new configurable Process Template?

You will need to download the closest Process Template to your process, make the changes and upload the new configured Process Template to your Team Foundation Server.

Step 1: go to Team –> Team Foundation Server Settings –> Process Template Manager…

Step 2: Choose one of the Process Templates, click the “Download” button and choose a local location.

Step 3: After you get the Success message click OK and make your changes.

Step 4: Open the “Process Template Manager” again, click the “Upload” button and navigate to the local folder that has the modified Process Template and click the “upload” button.

Step 5: You can see that the new Process Template is now in the list and ready to be used, click OK and you are ready to go.

That’s it, you have a Process Template that can be used to create as many Team Projects as you like.

Have Fun!!!