Azure Docs

Creating New Boards

Azure Boards provides a flexible way to visualize your team's work and track progress. Creating a new board is a straightforward process that allows you to tailor it to your team's specific workflow.

Prerequisites

Before creating a new board, ensure you have the necessary permissions. Typically, project administrators or users with "Contributor" access can create and manage boards.

Steps to Create a New Board
1

Navigate to Azure Boards

Open your Azure DevOps project and select 'Boards' from the left-hand navigation pane. Then, choose 'Boards' again to see your existing boards.

2

Access Board Options

On the Boards page, locate the board selector dropdown (usually at the top-left). Click on it, and you'll see an option like '+ New board' or 'Configure settings'. Select '+ New board'.

3

Configure New Board Details

A dialog or pane will appear for configuring your new board. You'll typically need to provide:

  • Board Name: A descriptive name for your board (e.g., "Development Sprint Board", "Bug Triage").
  • Description (Optional): A brief explanation of the board's purpose.
  • Work Item Types: Select the types of work items (e.g., User Story, Bug, Task, Feature) that should appear on this board. You can select multiple.
  • Team Association: Boards are often associated with a specific team. Choose the relevant team if applicable.
4

Define Columns and Lanes

This is a crucial step for visualizing your workflow. You'll configure the columns that represent the stages of your work. For more advanced setups, you can also define swimlanes.

Example Column Setup:


[To Do] | [In Progress] | [Code Review] | [Testing] | [Done]

You can add, rename, and reorder columns to match your team's process.

5

Save and View Your Board

Once you've filled in the details and configured your columns, click the 'Create' or 'Save' button. Your new board will be created and ready for you to start organizing your work items.

It's recommended to create boards that reflect distinct phases of your project or different team focuses. Start simple and iterate as your team's needs evolve.
Further Customization

After creating your board, you can further customize it by:

Example Usage

Imagine a software development team creating a new board for bug tracking. They might name it "Bug Triage Board" and include columns like: New, Investigating, Fixing, Testing Fix, and Resolved. This allows them to easily see the status of all reported bugs.