How to add a custom State for WorkItems in Visual Studio Team Services

Question

I\'m using Visual Studio Team Services (http://visualstudio.com/), with Visual Studio 2012.

I\'d like to add a new State Value for WorkItems. After a search I discover th

Answer 1

You need Team foundation Server Admin rights to execute witadmin tasks. What probably you mean by following is that you have added yourself to default collection admin/project admin.

I've added my user to every adminstrator group i've found in tfs configuration, for the project and the collection,

For that you have two options:

1. Either request your TFS admin to do this activity for you.
2. Request you TFS Admin to add you to the TFS Admin Group using TFS Admin Console.

Answer 2

Please note that the UI of VSTS has recently been changed. I'm updating my answer to reflect the latest changes but keeping an older copy too!

Update: As of 17th Oct 2018, on Team Services:

1. Account Home - Click on the Azure DevOps icon in the upper left corner.
2. Organization Settings - Click on this link in the lower left corner
3. Process - Click on Process in Boards Group in the list of settings
4. Select your process
5. Select the Work Item Type you want add the new state to
6. Click on States Menu item on the top
7. Click New State button

Adding a Gif below

For those who are still on the older UI , on Team Services...

1. Account Home - Click on the team services icon in the upper left corner.
2. Process - Mouse over the Gear icon and choose Process
3. Choose the process you are working in
4. Click on Product Backlog Item type
5. Click on the States tab (between Layout and Rules)

6. Click the New State link

   • Account Home can be accessed by clicking on the Azure DevOps icon (previously Team Service) in the top-left corner. This page is also the home page of you account and can be accessed by directly jumping using the URL. For example: youraccountname.visualstudio.com/
   • Process can be accessed from the UI as mentioned in steps above or by using the direct URL youraccountname.visualstudio.com/_settings/process

Hope it helps!

Thanks Microsoft for making it available!

Answer 3

This feature is not supported by Visual Studio Team Services. It seems this is causing a lot of people (including myself) problems. See here for the (planned) feature request.

I suspect the reason for your permission error is not that you haven't assigned the right permission, but rather that the permission is not available to be assigned.

Answer 4

http://lajak.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/tfs-2012-versions-of-team-foundation-server/

Cons: •Can’t customize process template or workitem templates

So it is not possible to add new states on Team Foundation Services.

Nevertheless, "Team\Team Project Collection Settings\Process Template manager" just allows you to up- and download Process Templates, where you can edit the WIT XMLs. A more comfortable way is to use/install TFS PowerTools and use the WIT Editor "Tools -> Process Editor -> Work Item Types -> Open WIT from Server/File".