Azure DevOps Services - Is there a way to set hard barriers to prevent moving tickets to a column that has reached its WIP limit?

Question

For example, if someone tries to move a ticket from the Active column to the Resolved column, which is already full, is there a way to set a "hard" barrier that prevents this action from going through?

Even if a column has reached its WIP limit, you can still move more tickets into the column.

Answer 1

There's no "board rule" you can apply. Microsoft prefers a soft-touch approach as described here

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/boards/boards/wip-limits?view=azure-devops#keep-within-wip-limits

Solutions for managing WIP Build a culture of team productivity. Address the natural tension that exists between individual productivity versus team productivity. Identify ways in which team members can enhance the overall productivity of the team and workflow process.

Size work to minimize variability. Before work starts on any item, the team should discuss the overall size of work required and determine if it can be broken down into smaller tasks.

Focus on the flow of high priority items. When idle, team members ask how they can help move an upstream item forward. When blocked or challenged to deliver an item on time, team members ask for help with completing an item.

Resource team capacity for each work stage. Bottlenecks can occur when there aren't enough specialists who work in a particular stage. Determine ways to either increase team skills within each work stage, or add resources as needed to meet an understaffed work stage.

Build shared understanding. Continuously strive to increase the team's understanding of how to work using Kanban practices. Take actions that allow team members to contribute to process changes. Consider scheduling regular retrospectives or team meetings to discuss what works well and what needs changing. Document team policies to limit ambiguity.

Use metrics to adjust processes. Periodically check Kanban metrics of work in progress and lead time to determine when changes need to be made.

Manage culture changes mindfully. People want to do their best work—a core tenet underlying Kanban and its associated disciplines. Apply change management principles as you adopt new practices. Create greater ownership within the team for the success of implementing WIP limits.