TFS2012 sprint planning: Can I modify the "Backlog Query"?

Question

We have upgraded our Team Foundation Server 2010 to Team Foundation Server 2012 and are now using the great TFS2012 web access to handle our product backlog, our sprints and our scrum board. And it all works very well. All except this: On our TFS2012 web access I go to WORK and I see my Product Backlog. However I expect only to see PBI that are not assigned to a Sprint (Past/Current or Future sprint). However I see all PBI that does not have status Done. I would expect that PBI are removed from this Product Backlog when it is moved to a Sprint Backlog. Right?

I would like to edit the work-item query to change so that only PBI that has a iteration path not inside a sprint. Can I do that?

There is a button Create Backlog Query and when I click on that a new query is created. I can edit that query - but it is not used as the query for the Backlog/planning screen.

I have not tried to see if this query is like that on a newly created TFS2012 Team Project. It might have something to do with the upgrade from a TFS2010 team project.

Thanks in advance.

Edit Oct 15:

When creating this question I felt it was wrong that a PBI could be both in a Sprint Backlog and the Product Backlog. However - when thinking how the planning is done - this might be okay. I should think of the Product Backlog as a backlog of PBI that are not done. PBIs might be planned for a sprint (current or future or even a past sprint) - however they are not done.

About the forecast feature in the Product Backlog view: There are some issues with this. The backlog priority has higher priority than already sprint assigned PBIs - this could be improved. I think this feature only can be used for a very rough estimate for future sprints. If you have many PBIs in your sprints - the forecast feature might be even misleading. That's my opinion.

Charades

Answer 1

There isn't any option to hide work items that are already in a sprint/iteration or change the backlog query. I also checked the TFS 2012 Update 1 CTP that includes a number of enhancements too. I think this would be a very useful feature. I created a Visual Studio UserVoice feature suggestion. If you have any votes available, feel free to vote for it so it will get more attention.

http://visualstudio.uservoice.com/forums/121579-visual-studio/suggestions/3257889-hide-iteration-work-items-in-web-access-backlog-or

Emporium

MikeDouglasDev - I kind of changed my mind, after asking this question. However the web access could be improved by not having this "hardcoded" query. A lot of the other features can be customized - but not this one. I accept the answer. – Charades

Morten, I did find out one additional thing. The work items will disappear from the backlog once they are committed or done (Scrum) or Active, Resolved, Closed (Agile). Hopefully they will add some additional customization with this in the future. – Emporium

Answer 2

You need to change the PBI to the appropriate state. Once it has been "committed" to a Sprint, it will no longer be in the backlog.

Manhunt

Maybe I'm missing something, but I see tons of Committed state items in my product backlog. – Overshoot

This functionality was updated in a later update to TFS. You will now see all non-closed items in the backlog regardless of whether or not they are in a sprint. – Manhunt

Answer 3

If a PBI is assigned to a specific sprint and you set the state of the PBI to anything but New, it will disappear from the backlog and only show in the sprint. If you keep it at New, it will show in both.

Ricoriki