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DevOps in 60 Seconds: Importing the Business Process Catalog as User Stories

  • Beau Schwieso
  • Jul 7
  • 2 min read
Because sometimes you need to boost a full backlog faster than Nicolas Cage boosts a Shelby GT500.
ree

In the 2000 classic, Memphis Raines has one minute to hot‑wire Eleanor and hit the road. In ERP land, our high‑stakes getaway isn’t horsepower, it’s backlog power. Imagine staring at a blank Azure DevOps board the night before sprint planning. Instead of frantically scribbling user stories like a getaway list on a pizza box, we’re going to “boost” them straight from Microsoft’s Business Process Catalog (BPC).


Dad joke warm‑up: The only thing getting stolen here is your backlog’s lead time and Microsoft fully approves the theft.

Why bring the catalog into DevOps?

  • BPC = VIN numbers. Every process has a unique ID, so nobody argues about which “Order‑to‑Cash” you mean.

  • Azure DevOps = chop shop telemetry. Boards, burndowns, pipelines.

  • Together they’re Eleanor and Memphis—scope clarity meets delivery speed. And with Copilot for DevOps on the horizon, acceptance criteria will practically write themselves.


Prerequisites (the key fob checklist)

Item

Details

Dad Tip

Custom process

Clone Agile (or Basic/Scrum) and add your own work‑item types: End‑to‑End Scenario, Business Process, Pattern/Task, Workshop, Configuration Deliverable. 

Your board, your rules—make the columns fit the drive.

Service connection

Personal Access Token with Work Item read/write

PATs and toddlers both need close supervision.

Latest BPC ZIP

Download from Microsoft Learn (“Import the business process catalog into Azure DevOps”)

Keep release month in the filename so you know which model year you’re driving.

Better dad joke: Why do crabs never volunteer? Because they're shell-fish.

The 60‑Second Import – Step‑by‑Step

  1. Download the catalog import ZIP from the Learn article.

  2. Azure DevOps → Boards › Process → Import process → drag‑and‑drop the ZIP (≈ 45 s).

  3. Clone the new “BPC process” so future Microsoft updates won’t blind‑side your tweaks.

  4. Switch your project to that process (≈ 5 s).

  5. Project Settings → Catalog Import (extension auto‑installs) → browse to the CSV. Rows instantly become Epics, Features, and User Stories aligned to your custom work‑item types.


Stopwatch hits the one‑minute mark; backlog boosted, Eleanor secured.

What you drive away with

Work‑item level

Source column

Board payoff

Epic

End‑to‑End Scenario

Executive roadmap everyone understands

Feature

Business Process

Cross‑squad coordination without turf wars

User Story

Pattern / Task

Sprint‑ready stories linked to RSAT cases

Tags

Security role, ISV flag

Instant license & buy‑vs‑build filters



Optional toppings (and an Agile reality check)

  • Area Paths as Workstreams (Finance, SCM, CE) keep boards readable.

  • Iterations → two‑week sprints—but let’s be honest: implementing ERP is sprinting through Waterfall. You’ll still pause for design sign‑offs, data‑migration waves, and cut‑over rehearsals. Agile just keeps the tires spinning between those stage gates.

  • Queries: Stories without Test Cases, Features missing KPIs.

  • Dashboards: Burn‑down by Process Area, Story count by License tier.


Common gotchas & quick fixes

  1. CSV delimiter mismatch → ensure UTF‑8 comma formatting.

  2. Missing custom work‑item types → create them before import or the process template will balk.

  3. Duplicate imports → version‑stamp files (BPC_Aug2024_v1.csv) and commit to a repo.


Call‑to‑Action

Steal.... uh, import your catalog, snap a screenshot of that pristine backlog, and tag #BPCDevOpsDash on LinkedIn.


Merge responsibly, my friends

DynamicsDad

 
 
 

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