When importing a CSV file into ADO why aren't my Effort, Original Estimate, Completed Work and Remaining Work numbers being updated from the import CSV file?

Question

When importing a CSV file into ADO why aren't my Effort, Original Estimate, Completed Work and Remaining Work numbers being updated from the import CSV file?

Answer 1

Hi @Zimmer, Peter

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

When importing or updating work items in Azure DevOps (ADO) using a CSV file, certain scheduling and effort-related fields do not get updated even though they are present in the CSV. This behavior is expected and occurs because these fields are either process‑controlled, calculated by the system, or restricted based on the work item type. During CSV import, Azure DevOps performs minimal validation and silently ignores values for fields that are not allowed to be set directly. As a result, fields such as Effort, Original Estimate, and Completed Work are not updated from the CSV, while Remaining Work may update successfully. This is a known limitation of the CSV import feature and is by design.

Refer below points to resolve this issue or use as a workaround:

Use Remaining Work for Tasks

For Task work items, Azure DevOps allows updating the Remaining Work field via CSV import. This is the only scheduling field that reliably updates for Tasks. Other work-related values are derived automatically by the system based on Remaining Work and state changes.

Validate field applicability by Work Item Type

Ensure that fields are being used with the correct work item types. For example, Effort is intended for Product Backlog Items or User Stories (Scrum process) and is ignored when provided for Tasks. Similarly, Completed Work is a calculated field and cannot be directly set through CSV import.

Use Excel Azure DevOps add‑in or REST API for full control

If you need to preserve or migrate historical values such as Original Estimate or Completed Work, use the Azure DevOps Excel add‑in or the Azure DevOps REST API. These options provide better validation and greater control compared to CSV import.

Avoid relying on CSV import for historical time data migration

CSV import is best suited for creating work items or performing basic bulk edits. It is not recommended for restoring detailed scheduling or time‑tracking history, as several fields are intentionally restricted during import.