Query on Adding Custom Fields (UAT Sent Date & UAT Approved Date) in Azure DevOps Work Items

Question

Dear Microsoft Azure DevOps Support Team,

We would like to understand the feasibility of adding custom fields—specifically “UAT Sent Date” and “UAT Approved Date”—to work items such as User Stories and Issues in Azure DevOps.

These fields are required as part of our BAU process to accurately track and calculate the UAT aging and turnaround time for each ticket. Having these date fields available during ticket creation and updates will help us improve reporting, monitoring, and SLA adherence.

Could you please assist us with the following:

Whether it is possible to add custom date fields to User Story and Issue work item types.

The recommended approach to configure these fields (Process customization, inherited process, or any other method).

Any prerequisites, permissions, or limitations associated with adding and using such custom fields.

Whether these fields can also be included in queries, dashboards, and reporting.

We would appreciate your guidance on the best practice to implement this requirement.

Thank you for your support.

Best regards,

Usman Baig

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible to add custom date fields such as “UAT Sent Date” and “UAT Approved Date” to work item types like User Stories and Issues in Azure DevOps. You can customize your work tracking system by adding custom fields to capture additional data that is not covered by the existing fields.

Recommended Approach:

1. Process Customization: You should create an inherited process if you are using the Inheritance process model. This allows you to customize work item types and add your custom fields.
2. Adding Custom Fields: You can add custom fields through the Azure DevOps interface. After adding the fields, you can specify whether they are required and set default values.
3. Field Configuration: You can also determine where these fields will appear on the work item form by using the Layout tab during the customization process.

Prerequisites and Permissions:

• Ensure that your project is configured to support the Inheritance process model.
• You may need appropriate permissions to customize processes and add fields.

Limitations:

• If your organization is using an older XML process model, you may be limited to that model for customization.

Queries, Dashboards, and Reporting:

• Once added, these custom fields can be included in queries, dashboards, and reporting tools like Power BI, allowing you to track and analyze data related to UAT aging and turnaround time effectively.

By following these steps, you can implement the required custom fields and enhance your tracking capabilities in Azure DevOps.