Acceptance

Acceptance and the completion of implementing TFS Integration involves activating the integration tasks, completing User Acceptance Testing (UAT), establishing regular monitoring and finally a sign-off that the project is complete.

Windows Scheduled Tasks

TFS Integration can be run, or scheduled to run, as often as required. Integration can be performed as soon as a new client has been added to TFS or it can be performed as a recurring task (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly).

TFS Integration can be configured to run automatically as an unattended process that does not require user intervention. This is achieved using the Scheduled Tasks feature of Microsoft Windows Server.

For detailed instructions on creating and administering Scheduled Tasks, please refer to the Microsoft Windows Server product documentation.

The scheduled task should execute the TFS Integration software and pass a parameter to the program.

When implementing scheduled tasks please note the following considerations:

• While integration can be performed at any time, ideally it should be done out of hours.
• Integration should be run after nightly backups of all systems have been completed.
• Each integration task should be given a clear window of time to complete.
• Where multiple integration tasks are run each night, where possible they should be scheduled to run separately at different times. Integration tasks of the same integration type should NEVER be run concurrently.

Regular Monitoring

Once scheduled tasks are in place and integration is configured to run automatically, it is important that it is regularly monitored to ensure it continues to work as required.

A specific staff member should be assigned the task of confirming each day that all integration tasks have been performed. This also provides the opportunity to action any issues or failures that arise from integration.

Insula Software offers a service to perform a daily check of integration and action any issues that may arise.

Sign Off

When all testing, implementation, and initial monitoring of TFS Integration has completed, the project should be officially signed off. The on-going monitoring will ensure that integration runs successfully into the future.

It is important that any proposed changes in IT infrastructure including hardware or software be reviewed in light of how TFS Integration may be affected by the change.

Integration is a vital component of the information accuracy and flow between systems and must be treated as such in any IT environment.