Understand from which team the Feature has originated

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Understand from which team the Feature has originated

SB 440

Hi Team,

We usually do cross-team demand planning every quarter. When I say Team, within a project we have multiples teams (approx. 70). Now some teams raise Feature with other teams as they need to complete the Feature for them. For example, right now team A assigns the Feature to team B via area path and iteration path.

However, since there are so many teams I am unsure how to identify from which team the request has come because as soon as Team A assigns Feature to team B, the area path changes to Team B. Team A does create EPIC under their own area path and iteration path. But going through each Feature and their associated EPIC on backlog is becoming a nightmare. In simple terms, how will Team B differentiate the Features they have created for themselves vs Features they have received from other team.

Is there any way without using area path to identify from which team the Feature originated?

Can we show this on a dashboard where on the left is Team needed to deliver Feature and at top Team requested the Feature?

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Hi @SB ,

Once a Feature is reassigned to the “receiving” team, its area path / iteration path naturally change, so the backlog hierarchy doesn’t reliably tell you who originated the request.

This should be possible, but I'd recommend not relying on Area Path to identify the originating team since it changes when ownership is transferred. Instead, consider adding a custom field such as Requesting Team or Originating Team on the Feature work item. Team A would populate this when creating the Feature, while the Area Path continues to represent the team responsible for delivering it.

This makes it easy for Team B to distinguish Features they created themselves from those requested by other teams. It also enables reporting, such as a dashboard or Power BI report, that shows Teams Needed to Deliver (rows) versus Teams Raising Demand (columns), similar to the matrix you've shared. This provides a much clearer view of cross-team demand without having to trace each Feature back to its parent Epic.

Hope this helps!

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