Standard System Epic Template
This guideline describes the fields used in the system epic template.
Overview
System epic is a work item describing an effort to be implemented in a system release. The effort can be of different types (business, architecture, UX, intellectual property (IP), or enabler). The most common system epic is the “business” type. System epics are created to describe how a system requirement from product management shall be implemented. Relevant information from the system requirements in Decision Focus is replicated to the business system epic in Azure DevOps and Decision Focus collects data from the system epic to make it available in Decision Focus.
The other system epic types describe different R&D-internal efforts needed in the release. Decision Focus does not collect any information from the R&D-internal system epics.
The system epic template is an ABB customized template, including both standard and customized fields. All fields are listed below (mandatory fields in bold):
| Field | Data | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Text | For a business system epic, the title is replicated from Decision Focus. For other system epics, concise names that provide understanding and context shall be defined. |
| Responsible | User | Set to the responsible person (e.g. the system product owner/system release owner/…) |
| State | Drop down | [New, Active, Resolved, Closed, Removed] |
| Reason | Drop down | Automatic: “Moved to state …” |
| Area | Text | Functional area related to a release set up by product owner / configuration manager. |
| Iteration | Text | In which increment will the system epic be completed (closed). |
| Details | Text | Details of needed work. For the business type, it shall describe the “System Solution Intent”, either in text or by referring to an attachment. |
| SR Description | Text | Field is replicated from a system requirement in Decision Focus. |
| SR Details | Text | Field is replicated from a system requirement in Decision Focus. |
| Definition of Ready | Checklist | Checklist of preparations needed before the implementation of the work item can start. |
| Definition of Done | Checklist | Checklist of tasks needed to be completed before the work item can be closed. |
| Discussion | Text | All discussions related to the definition and development of the system epic shall be kept here. |
| Classification/Value Area | Drop down | [Business, Architecture, UX, IP, Enabler] |
| Classification/SE stage | Drop down | [New, In backlog, Investigate, Investigated, Refine, Refined] |
| Planning/Priority | Drop down | [1,2,3,4] (1 is the highest priority) |
| Planning/Business Values | Text | The business value as decided by the release/product line. |
| Planning/Target Date | Date | The target date for completing the system epic. |
| Planning/Risk | Drop down | [1.High, 2.Medium, 3.Low] |
| Planning/Review Date | Date | Date when the system epic was reviewed (DoR). |
| Planning/Initial Effort Estimation | Drop down | All effort related to the system epic (Development, Architecture, UX, IP, and Enablers, e.g. test). |
| Planning/Confidence Level | Drop down | [Likely, Probably, Certainly] The confidence of the estimation from likely to certain. |
| Planning/Impacted Dev Stream | Multiple choice | Impacted development streams. |
| Related work | Decision Focus links | Children (epics) and related/predecessor/successor to other system epics. |
| DFN Specific Information (e.g.: SR ID, SR Status, SR Rank, …) | Text | All fields are replicated from a system requirement in Decision Focus. |
Details
Fields in “bold” are mandatory. Non-mandatory fields might be set as mandatory by a specific product line/release.
For more information on working with system epics:
- Requirements Structure
- How-to Work with System Requirements and System Epics
- How-to Work with System Architecture Epics and Features
- Definition of Ready and Definition of Done
- Area and Iteration Path
For a more general picture of the standard work item template change process in ADO, see ADO standard work item template change management process.