Alibaba Cloud DevOps:Project template sync configuration

In large-scale project management, you often need to apply a standard delivery process to all projects. Alibaba Cloud DevOps Projex lets you enforce these standards by using templates, ensuring all projects follow the same delivery specifications.

• For organization managers: Standards apply uniformly. Changes to the template are automatically synchronized with all projects created from it, and standards cannot be modified within a project.

• For project managers: Once a delivery standard is set, they follow it without manually updating project settings when the standard changes. Projects can still customize certain work item settings for specific needs.

To support these scenarios, Alibaba Cloud DevOps Projex provides template synchronization capabilities.

Synchronizable settings include project fields (synchronized by default), automation rules, work item types, work item fields, and workflows (synchronization is configurable). Enterprise administrators can use templates to define development process standards, and changes are automatically synchronized to all projects created from that template.

Enable or disable template synchronization

After you create a template, the synchronization settings for each service are as follows:

When synchronization is enabled for a configuration item such as project status, a blue sync icon appears in the left navigation pane.

You can enable or disable template synchronization based on your collaboration needs, for example, for project status settings.

• Enable synchronization: All projects created from the template automatically synchronize with changes made to the template. Settings inherited from the template cannot be modified within the project.

• Disable synchronization: Projects created from the template can modify the settings inherited from the template.

On the General settings > Project status page of a project template, a green Synced label appears next to the page title and a Syncing button is displayed in the upper-right corner when synchronization is enabled.

Create a project from a synced template

On the Select a project template page, choose a template with synchronization enabled (indicated by a sync icon next to the template name). Configuration changes are automatically synchronized to the project, and synchronized settings cannot be modified within the project. After selecting a template, click Create project from this template.

How synchronized settings work in a project

1. project field: Synchronized from the template by default and cannot be customized within the project.

2. project status: If project status synchronization is enabled in the template, projects created from it do not support reordering, configuring transitions, adding, or deleting statuses.

   On the Project status page, the status transition matrix includes three statuses: To Do (default), In Progress, and Done. Transitions are allowed between all of these statuses.

3. automation rule: If automation rule synchronization is enabled in the template, rules synchronized from the template cannot be modified in the project, although they can be copied. You can add new rules within the project, and these project-specific rules can be reordered, edited, and deleted.

   On the Automation rules page, the rules list displays rules synchronized from the template, marked with a Synced label. These rules cannot be edited, deleted, or reordered, but can be copied. Rules added within the project can be edited, deleted, and reordered.

4. work item type: If type synchronization is enabled in the template, projects created from it do not support adding, enabling, disabling, or deleting types.

   On the Work item settings > Requirement page, the type management list includes a default Product Requirement type, which is enabled.

5. work item field: If field synchronization is enabled for a work item type in the template, projects created from it do not support reordering fields, setting required fields, editing option lists, modifying default values, changing the visibility of fields, or deleting fields.

   You can add new fields within the project, and these project-specific fields can be fully configured. However, if a field with the same name is later added to the template, the template's field configuration will override the project's custom configuration. Existing work item data in the project is not affected.

   On the Fields tab for the Product Requirement type, the field list displays fields such as priority, project, iteration, participants, watchers, label, planned start date, and planned completion date, along with their type, required setting, and default value settings.

6. work item status: If status synchronization is enabled for a work item type in the template, projects created from it do not support reordering statuses, setting transition steps, adding or deleting statuses, or setting a default status. Transition rules inherited from the template cannot be edited, but you can add new transition rules within the project.

   On the Workflow page, the Product Requirement work item type includes the following statuses: To Do (default), Selected, In Design, Design Complete, In Development, Development Complete, In Testing, Testing Complete, and Done. A matrix on the page displays the transition relationships between these statuses. A notification at the top indicates that the workflow is inherited from the template and its settings cannot be modified.