When working on a project with multiple developers, it is crucial to have a well-defined pull request workflow in place. This helps ensure that code changes are reviewed, tested, and deployed efficiently and with minimum risk. In Microsoft DevOps Solutions, you can leverage branch policies and branch protections to design and implement an effective pull request workflow. Let’s explore these concepts and understand how to use them effectively.

Branch Policies:

Branch policies allow you to define specific conditions and checks that must be satisfied before a pull request can be completed. These policies help enforce quality control and prevent code issues from being merged into the main branch. Here are some essential branch policies you can implement:

1. Require at least one approving review: By enabling this policy, you ensure that a pull request cannot be completed unless it has received a specific number of approving reviews from designated reviewers. This ensures that code changes are thoroughly inspected before being merged.

Pull Request Content

2. Check for linked work items: This policy ensures that all pull requests are associated with work items, providing traceability and accountability. It helps maintain a clear record of the changes made and the reasons behind them.

Pull Request

This pull request is related to the user story #1234.

3. Build validation: Enabling this policy ensures that the code changes in a pull request successfully pass the build process. The build validation policy helps catch any compilation errors, ensuring that only working code is merged.

Branch Protections:

Branch protections provide an additional layer of security by enforcing rules on branch manipulation, preventing accidental modifications or unauthorized changes. Here are a few branch protections you can implement:

1. Require a minimum number of reviewers: You can configure branches to require a specific number of reviewers for all changes. This ensures that multiple sets of eyes review the code, facilitating collaboration and reducing the risk of introducing defects.
2. Restrict who can push to the branch: By limiting who can push changes directly to protected branches, you ensure that only authorized individuals or teams can modify the code. This prevents accidental or unauthorized changes, maintaining code integrity.
3. Enforce merge checks: Merge checks allow you to specify criteria that must be met before merging a pull request. These checks can include policies such as build validation, work item linking, and specific branch permissions. Enforcing merge checks ensures that only approved, validated, and compliant code changes are merged.

Code Review Workflow with Branch Policies and Protections:

Now, let’s outline a typical pull request workflow using branch policies and protections:

1. Create a feature branch: Each developer creates a new branch from the main branch (or any designated development branch) to work on their respective feature or bug fix.
2. Implement changes and create a pull request: The developer makes the necessary code changes, commits them to their feature branch, and creates a pull request to merge their changes into the main branch.
3. Assign reviewers and await feedback: The pull request is assigned to one or more reviewers who thoroughly inspect the code, provide feedback, and request necessary changes. Branch policies ensure that the pull request cannot be completed without the required number of approving reviews.
4. Address feedback and iterate: The developer addresses the feedback and updates their code accordingly. They push the changes to their branch, which automatically triggers the build validation policy. If the build passes, the reviewer re-evaluates the changes.
5. Complete the pull request: Once the required approvals are obtained, the pull request can be completed, merging the changes into the main branch. Merge checks ensure that all necessary policies, such as work item linking and build validation, have been satisfied.

By following this workflow and leveraging branch policies and protections, you establish a robust and controlled environment for collaborating on code changes. This process promotes quality, collaboration, and traceability, reducing the likelihood of introducing errors and enabling more efficient software delivery.

Remember, while the example snippets provided above are in HTML, the concepts of branch policies and branch protections can be implemented in various development environments and version control systems, including Microsoft Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server.

Implementing a well-defined pull request workflow is crucial for any development team. By utilizing the capabilities of branch policies and branch protections in Microsoft DevOps Solutions, you can ensure code quality, improve collaboration, and safeguard your codebase from potential errors or unauthorized changes.