How to Use Requirement, Feature, PBI, and Task Hierarchies Effectively

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:39:07 +0100

When an initiative spans multiple releases, organizing its backlog can become surprisingly difficult.

Imagine a larger product capability that starts with an MVP and is extended release by release. Given an Azure DevOps hierarchy such as:

Using Container Requirements to Organize Requirements in Azure DevOps

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 01:51:07 +0100

Requirements rarely exist in isolation. As a project grows, related requirements naturally form larger groups around features, architectural areas, business objectives, or other common themes.

Ideally, the work item hierarchy in Azure DevOps reflects this structure. But not every Azure DevOps project provides suitable higher-level work item types such as Initiatives, and changing the process configuration is not always possible or desirable.

Backlog on Marko Apfel

How to Use Requirement, Feature, PBI, and Task Hierarchies Effectively

Using Container Requirements to Organize Requirements in Azure DevOps