Microsoft has published a set of white papers which provide a good technical overview of the features available in Visual Studio Team System 2008. They’re available individually for download: Visual Studio Team System 2008 Capabilities White Papers.

The papers cover the following subjects, corresponding to features sets and design goals of VSTS 2008:

• Communicate and Collaborate
• Drive Predictability
• Ensure Quality Early and Often
• Integrate Work Frequently
• Making Real-Time Decisions
• Managing Team Workflow
• Using Familiar Tools

I wrote the Integrate Work Frequently paper, which describes some of the new build system features, including the capability to implement Continuous Integration easily. We’ve been using Team System since its 2005 introduction at Lake Quincy Media, and I’ve been a longtime fan of continuous integration, as well. I was very glad to see its inclusion in VSTS 2008, and I’m sure it will be a big help to a lot of software shops.