Configure GitHub Projects

Understanding project scope and ownership is crucial for successful collaboration between GitHub Projects and Azure Boards. In this unit, we'll explore key considerations for defining project boundaries and responsibilities.

Project scope and ownership decisions

Organization vs. User Projects - Decision Matrix:

Factor	Organization Project	User Project
Team collaboration	Multi-team, cross-functional work	Individual or small team experiments
Governance	Formal approval processes, audit trails	Lightweight, rapid iteration
Visibility	Enterprise-wide transparency	Personal or limited visibility
Access control	Role-based permissions, enterprise SSO	Individual control
Lifecycle	Long-term, production workloads	Prototypes, learning, testing

Best practice recommendations:

• Use organization projects for production applications and shared services
• Leverage user projects for proof-of-concepts and individual learning
• Consider data governance and compliance requirements when choosing scope

Project creation workflow

For organization projects:

1. Navigate to your organization's main page on GitHub
2. Click Projects in the organization navigation
3. Select New project dropdown → New project
4. Choose appropriate project template based on workflow needs

For user projects:

1. Click your avatar → Your projects
2. Select New project dropdown → New project
3. Select template that aligns with project goals

Project template selection guide:

Template	Use Case	Key Features
Team backlog	Sprint planning, feature development	Story points, sprint cycles
Feature	Product roadmap, release planning	Milestones, dependencies
Bug triage	Issue management, quality assurance	Severity, priority, status tracking
Blank	Custom workflows, specialized processes	Full customization flexibility

Project documentation and communication strategy

README and description best practices:

1. Navigate to your project
2. Click the settings menu (three dots) in the top-right
3. Select Settings
4. Create comprehensive project documentation:

Project Description Framework:

• Purpose: Clear statement of project objectives and scope
• Stakeholders: Key team members, sponsors, and decision-makers
• Success criteria: Measurable outcomes and acceptance criteria
• Timeline: Key milestones and delivery expectations

README Content Structure:

# Project Name

## Overview

Brief description of project goals and context

## Getting Started

Prerequisites and setup instructions

## Workflow Guidelines

- Issue creation and labeling standards
- Review and approval processes
- Communication protocols

## Team Information

Contact details and responsibilities

Example enterprise README template:

# Customer Portal Enhancement Project

## Project Overview

Modernize customer self-service portal to improve user experience and reduce support ticket volume by 30%.

## Key Stakeholders

- **Product Owner**: Name (email@company.com)
- **Tech Lead**: Name (email@company.com)
- **UX Designer**: Name (email@company.com)

## Success Metrics

- Page load time < 2 seconds
- User satisfaction score > 4.2/5
- Support ticket reduction of 30%

## Workflow Standards

- All features require design review before development
- Security review mandatory for user-facing changes
- Performance testing required for all releases

Strategic work item planning and management

Issue creation and organization strategy

Initial project setup workflow: When your new project initializes, it prompts you to add items. This is your opportunity to establish the project foundation.

Strategic issue creation approach:

1. Start with epics and themes: Create high-level work items that represent major features or initiatives
2. Break down into user stories: Define specific, testable functionality from user perspective
3. Add technical tasks: Include infrastructure, testing, and deployment work
4. Plan dependencies: Identify blocking relationships and critical path items

Issue template best practices:

Feature Issue Template:

## User Story

As a [user type], I want [functionality] so that [business value].

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
- [ ] Criterion 3

## Definition of Done

- [ ] Code review completed
- [ ] Unit tests written and passing
- [ ] Integration tests updated
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Accessibility review completed

## Dependencies

- Links to related issues or external dependencies

## Technical Notes

Implementation considerations and architectural decisions

Click the plus (+) sign to add more issues systematically based on your project plan.

Work item hierarchy and organization:

• Epics: Major features or initiatives
• Features: Deliverable functionality
• User Stories: Specific user-facing capabilities
• Tasks: Technical implementation work
• Bugs: Defects and issues requiring resolution

Advanced issue categorization examples

Labeling strategy for enterprise projects:

Category	Labels	Purpose
Priority	priority:critical, priority:high, priority:medium, priority:low	Resource allocation and scheduling
Type	type:feature, type:bug, type:technical-debt, type:research	Work categorization and reporting
Team	team:frontend, team:backend, team:qa, team:design	Ownership and responsibility
Status	status:blocked, status:in-review, status:needs-info	Workflow state management
Release	release:v2.1, milestone:q1-2024	Release planning and tracking

Advanced project configuration and governance

Security and access management

Navigate to project settings by clicking the menu (three dots) in the top-right corner.

Access control best practices:

Role	Permissions	Use Cases
Admin	Full project control, settings management	Project owners, tech leads
Write	Create/edit items, manage workflows	Development team members
Read	View project content, add comments	Stakeholders, QA team
No access	Cannot view project	External users, restricted data

Enterprise security considerations:

• Enable two-factor authentication for all project administrators
• Regular access reviews and permission audits (quarterly recommended)
• Integration with enterprise SSO and identity management systems
• Audit logging for compliance and security monitoring

Custom fields and workflow configuration

Strategic custom field design:

Business Value Tracking:

• Effort estimation: Story points or time estimates
• Business priority: Customer impact or revenue potential
• Risk assessment: Technical complexity or dependency risk
• Compliance requirements: Security, accessibility, regulatory needs

Common enterprise custom fields examples:

Field Name	Type	Values/Options	Purpose
Business Value	Select	High, Medium, Low	Prioritization and ROI analysis
Effort	Number	1-13 (Fibonacci sequence)	Sprint planning and capacity
Component	Select	Frontend, Backend, Database, API	Technical ownership and expertise
Customer Segment	Select	Enterprise, SMB, Individual	Feature targeting and validation
Release Target	Date	Specific dates	Milestone and dependency planning

Automation and workflow optimization:

• Set up automated status transitions based on pull request states
• Configure notifications for critical updates and blockers
• Establish review cycles and approval workflows
• Implement escalation procedures for stalled work items

Continuous improvement and analytics

Project health monitoring:

• Track velocity trends and team capacity utilization
• Monitor cycle time from issue creation to completion
• Identify bottlenecks and process improvement opportunities
• Regular retrospectives and workflow adjustments

Integration checkpoints:

• Weekly project sync meetings with stakeholder updates
• Monthly process review and optimization sessions
• Quarterly strategic alignment and goal assessment
• Annual project governance and security audits

For more information about Projects, see:

• Quickstart for projects - GitHub Docs.
• Creating an issue - GitHub Docs.