Creating Work Items from an Email
One of TeamLook's most powerful points of Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 and Microsoft
Team Foundation Server integration is the ability to turn emails directly into work
items. So, if you receive an email that prompts the creation of a work item, there
is a seamless, efficient method to turn new information into a new assignment. This
even works with multiple emails.
There are two primary ways to create a work item from an email: from inside your
inbox, or from an open email. From inside your Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 inbox,
right-click on the desired email and select "Create Work Item."
From inside an email open in its own window, click the "Create Work Item" button
in the upper-right corner in the TeamLook section of the Message ribbon.
Select a project and a work item type in the "Program Selector" window. A new work
item form will open. It will be automatically titled with the subject of the email.
The body of the message is copied into the work item description.
The email is also attached to the work item as a .msg file.
You can create a work item from multiple emails by highlighting any number of emails
in your inbox, right-clicking on them, and selecting "Create Work Item." Then choose
a project and a work item type. You will notice that, unlike a work item created
from a single email, the title and details will be blank. All of the emails, though,
will be attached to the work item as .msg files in the attachments tab.
There is a third, faster way to turn emails into work items, but only for creating
work items within your default project. From inside an email open in its own window,
click the arrow next to "Select Work Item Type..." in the TeamLook section of the
Message ribbon. This will open a drop down menu containing the available work item
types for your default project.
Select one to open the corresponding new work item form. This saves you the step
of selecting your project and item type in the "Program Selector" window and allows
for more fluid workflow.
If you want to change your default project, or add a new project or server, but
do not want to exit your email, you can shortcut to TeamLook Options by clicking
the small grey arrow in the bottom-left corner of the TeamLook section of the Message
Ribbon.
You can also create a new work item from a template from within an email. Click
the "Create from Template" button in the TeamLook section of the Message ribbon.
Or, if you are in your inbox, right-click on the desired email(s) and select "Create
from template." Choose your template. You will now have a new work item form with
the fields prescribed by your template filled out and the email attached to the
work item as a .msg file.
Creating Work Items from Other Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 Artifacts
TeamLook also gives you the ability to create work items from events on your calendar
and tasks on your to-do list. This allows you to translate tasks and events scheduled
in Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 directly to Microsoft Team Foundation Server. To
create a work item from an event on your calendar or a task on your to-do list,
right-click on the event or task and select "Create Work Item." Select your project
and work item type. TeamLook will give the work item the same title as the event
or task, copy the body of the message into the work item description, and will attach
the event or task as a .msg file. This also works with the "Create from Template"
and the "Attach to Work Item" tools. Both of which are accessible by right-clicking
on the item and behave in the same manner that they do for creating work items from
an email. All of these tools are functional for multiple events or tasks. Just highlight
whichever events you are interested in, open the right-click menu, and proceed as
you would for a single item.
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