Action Customer types some code; at some point, opens another file from Solution Explorer and types some more code. Action ...

Action
Customer types some code; at some point, opens another file from Solution Explorer and types some more code.



Action
Crossfade to an empty My Work page.

Dialogue
In this short video you'll see how spending just a few minutes in My Work can help you multi-task more effectively in Visual Studio, and improve your overall productivity.



Action
Fade to black.

Dialogue
Suspend, and then easily resume your work



Action
Visual Studio with lots of code windows open, breakpoints, watches set, etc.

Dialogue
Has this ever happened to you? You're making slow but steady progress on a task, working deep in some complex code.  Perhaps you're in the middle of refactoring, and you also have a lot of breakpoints and watches set. The changes are so extensive that currently, the code is far from being ready to check in; in fact, at the moment won't compile.



Action
Some cod writing is performed. 

Dialog
Just as you are on the cusp of solving a difficult problem, your manager interrupts you with an urgent issue. One of your customers is blocked by a bug. You have to immediately switch to a completely different context, perhaps a different branch of your codebase or a different solution. 

Even if the issue is in the code you are working on, you still have no choice but to somehow set aside all your unfinished work and throw away all the state and context on your screen.



Action
User switches from Solution Explorer to My Work. Hover pointer over Suspend. 

Dialogue
Or do you…?



Action
Clicks suspend. 

Dialogue
With the click of a button your workspace is clean and your unfinished work is safely set aside on your server. 



Action
Fixes the bug and checks in the fix. 

Dialogue
Having fixed the bug, you are keen to get your mind back on task before you forget all that context.



Action
Goes back to My Work and resumes the suspended work.

Dialogue
When you resume your work, you're relieved to see that you get back more than the code you were developing. Your environment is restored back to the way you left it, including the open windows, the breakpoints, the watches, and other useful bits of state. 



Action
Resumes another bit of suspended work

Dialogue
You can even resume more than one set of suspended work at the same time.

My Work could become your new best friend in situations when you need to set aside, and then later resume some complicated work.



Action
In meeting room: developer gestures to screen to emphasize one particular task. On screen: Web Access: Current sprint, empty backlog item.

Dialogue
Each day you huddle with your team for 15 minute stand-up meeting to agree on the business value your customers want most from you right now.



Action
Create task from backlog item, assign it to developer, and see that it is in the Not Started column. 

Dialogue
As a team you decide which part of this story each of you will build today using the Agile task board.



Action
Zoom in and crossfade to this backlog item in My Work. Drag it from Available Work Items to In Progress Work Items  Changes.

Dialogue
When you return to your desk from the stand-up meeting and are ready to begin work on the task, you simply drag and drop it in My Work. 



Action
Crossfade to Pending Changes, which shows the same work item, now on deck to be associated with the code the developer is writing.

Dialogue
This simple gesture prepares your workspace so that code you check in will be associated with the task. 



Action
Task is now in the In Progress column. 

Developer is coding, and then checks-in the fix associated with the task. 

Task board showing the task is done.

Dialogue
This gesture also automatically gives a heads up to your team to let them know that you have begun working on the task. As you use My Work and Pending Changes to organize and complete your work, Visual Studio automatically lets your team know your status.



Action
Show linking from task, to changeset, to a diff of the code showing some fantastic new feature.

Dialogue
And when you complete your work, Visual Studio automatically provides full transparency into the code you've checked in. Team members can easily make connections between the plan, the result, and the value you created for your customers.



Dialogue
As you have seen, the My Work page in Team Explorer enables you minimize the pain and time wasted by interruptions. You can also use this page to facilitate collaboration on your code and to ensure the business value you've created is transparent to the team.