ChatOps - Integrating Azure MS Teams With Azure DevOps

Overview

ChatOps is a conversation driven collaboration where team can take actions by interacting Devops tools functionality and actions into conversations which helps teams to work better and faster.ChatOps is kind of evolution of DevOps.

As mentioned in Atlassian blog, ChatOps is a collaboration model that connects people, tools, process, and automation into a transparent workflow. This flow connects the work needed, the work happening, and the work done in a persistent location staffed by the people, bots, and related tools. ^

Consider that developers in a team want to use their favorite development tools and there is a project manager who needs to manage the project with a different tool, it's quite challenging to follow-up and track the status on each and every activities within a project. However using MS Teams, we can bring in these apps straight into teams channels and have a conversations around project tasks directly into the conversation which helps in bringing visibility and clarity within the project team.

These features can not only be used to track the status but also there are action buttons right in the conversation to do things. Actions taken in the MS Teams is directly reflected in the Azure DevOps services without having to leave the teams, so it truly becomes the hub of teamwork.

In this article we are going to walkthrough the steps of low code/no code integration of MS Teams with Azure DevOps that facilitates ChatOps.

Pre-Requisites

MS teams
Azure DevOps configured

Steps to configure ChatOps using Azure DevOps app in MS Teams

Go to the MS Teams channel where you want to link Azure DevOps
Click on “+” to add an App
Search for Azure DevOps and click on Add
On the next Screen click on “Select Organization”
You need to login using the credentials for Azure DevOPs. On the Login screen enter the credentials 6. Once logged in successfully you will be asked to select the Organization you need to connect to and click on “Continue”
In the Pop up below select whether you would like to Add an Azure DevOps Dashboard or Azure Kanban Board

Select “Add a Kanban board”

Select “Project, Team and Backlog level” and click on Save
Following board is added to the teams
Now you can manage Backlog level selected directly on the board similar to “Azure DevOps” Kanboard. You can add details, update status, attach files etc
Now managing activities is easier by team members without logging to Azure DevOps as same can be done through MS teams

select “Add a Dashboard”

Select Project, DashBoard type, Team and Dashboard to be added and click on save
Once Saved the dashboard will be added to the teams Channel
Any changes made to the Dashboard in Azure DevOPs will be reflected in teams
Adding dashboard to teams make it simple to view the important charts and updates without logging into Azure DevOps

Note

You can share the Dashboard with the Group/User by adding them to dashboard security with providing access to ADO.

Similarly you can add messaging options for Azure Repos and Azure Pipeline.

Click on Messaging extension and Search for Azure Repos

Select and Click on Add
Click on “Sign in” in below screen and you will get a pop up to accept authorization. Click on “Accept”

Click on "set up" as in below image
Choose “Organization” and click "Continue"
Choose “Project” and click continue
You can View your Active pull request
you can share your pull request with team members
Similarly, you can share Azure Pipelines and Releases with users

Summary

We all know, Microsoft Team is a hub of teamwork. ChatOps implmentations by integrating MS Teams with Azure DevOps is a classic example how project teams can leverage the power of MS Teams which improve productivity, better communication.

It is the effective way of getting things done without navigating to multiple screens. It improves the information sharing ,transparency within the team is enhanced this helps in achieving team objectives faster.

Azure DevOps has multiple services like : Azure Repos, Azure Pipelines, Azure Boards, Azure Test Plans, Azure Artifacts, I recommend to use this low code/no code integeration with MS Teams for effective collaboration.