Work Item Twins is an extension that helps you synchronize work items between two different project boards within the same Azure DevOps organization. This is particularly useful for teams that need to track the same work in multiple projects.
Features
Create twins: Clone a work item from one project to another with a single click.
Parent Linking: Optionally select a parent work item in the target project when creating a twin.
Automatic Field Sync: Automatic synchronization of work item fields is triggered when you save changes to either twin work item.
Manual Bidirectional Sync: Manually synchronize changes between twin work items using the "Manual Sync" button. The sync direction is automatically determined based on the last updated time.
Flexible Field Configuration: Choose which fields to sync during twin creation. By default, all editable fields are synchronized.
Smart Field Exclusion: Option to exclude State and/or Assigned To fields from synchronization if needed.
Cross-Project Support: Create and maintain work item twins across different projects within your Azure DevOps organization, including proper handling of Area and Iteration paths.
Data Storage Integration: Twin configurations are stored in Azure DevOps Data Storage, ensuring they persist and are accessible only within your organization.
Relationship Tracking: Uses the Azure DevOps extension general tag ("Work Item Twin") to identify managed work items.
Navigate to Twin: Easily jump to the twin work item from the panel.
Note: Comment synchronization is not currently supported and will be added in a future update.
How to Use
Open a work item in Azure DevOps.
Click the "Work Item Twins" button in the work item toolbar.
Select the target project and work item type.
Optionally, search for and select a parent work item in the target project.
Choose which fields to synchronize (defaults to all editable fields).
Optionally exclude State and/or Assigned To fields from synchronization.
Click "Create Twin Work Item".
Once a twin exists, automatic field syncing will trigger whenever you save changes to either work item.
Use the "Manual Sync" button to force synchronization at any time.
Synchronization Details
Twin relationships and configurations are stored in Azure DevOps Data Storage Service, accessible only within your organization.
Work items are tagged with "Work Item Twin" for easy identification.
Automatic Sync: Field synchronization is automatically triggered when you save changes to either twin work item.
Manual Sync: The "Manual Sync" button compares the System.ChangedDate of both twins and copies field values from the more recently updated item to the older one. Only fields with different values are updated.
Smart Field Handling:
System fields specific to each project (like ID, Project, Area Path, Iteration Path, Created Date, etc.) are never synced.
Read-only and computed fields are automatically excluded.
Work item type-specific fields are handled correctly (e.g., Description for Stories, Repro Steps for Bugs).
Sync Buffer: A 5-second buffer prevents sync loops when both work items are updated in rapid succession.
Comment Sync: Not currently supported; planned for a future update.
Migration from Legacy Version
If you used a previous version of this extension that stored configurations in tags, the extension will automatically migrate your twin configurations to the new Data Storage system on first use. Your existing twin relationships will continue to work seamlessly.
Use Cases
Cross-project tracking of features or tasks.
Maintaining synchronized backlogs across multiple teams.
Supporting shared services teams that work with multiple product teams.
Support & Feature Requests
Request Features: Use the "💡 Request a Feature" button at the bottom of the panel to easily email feature requests to support@innovaapps.ai
Get Help: Contact our support team for assistance with the extension
