AZ-400 Configure processes and communications Practice Question
Your team uses Azure Boards to manage work items. You need to ensure that when a work item is moved to 'Closed', all linked pull requests in Azure Repos are automatically completed. What should you configure?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Service hook to a custom Azure Function
Azure Boards service hooks can trigger a custom Azure Function when a work item state changes to 'Closed', and that function can complete linked pull requests via Azure Repos REST API. Option C is incorrect because work item rules (state transition rules) in Azure Boards do not have a built-in action to automatically complete pull requests; they only allow changes to work item fields, not external actions like completing PRs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Service hook to a custom Azure Function
Why this is correct
A service hook in Azure DevOps can subscribe to a 'Pull request completed' or 'Pull request merged' event and invoke an HTTP endpoint, such as an Azure Function, which then uses the REST API to transition an Azure Boards work item to the appropriate state. This is a valid external automation approach because it is not a built-in feature and requires custom code to correlate the PR to work items and call the update.
- ✗
Work item 'Pull Request' tab
Why it's wrong here
The Pull Request tab on a work item (or the associated pull request control) only displays and links related PRs to the work item; it does not listen to PR merge events or automate any state change. Azure Boards cannot be configured to auto-complete a work item based solely on this tab, so it fails to satisfy the requirement.
- ✗
Work item rule (state transition rule)
Why it's wrong here
Azure Boards work item rules are evaluated only within the work item form itself—they can restrict state transitions or set field values when a work item is saved, but they have no event subscription to repository pull-request completion events. The built-in 'Complete linked work items' checkbox appears on the pull request completion dialog and is a manual, PR-side setting, not a work item rule, and it only acts after a user explicitly completes the PR. Therefore, a state-transition rule cannot listen for a PR merge and automatically close the linked work item, so it fails the requirement.
- ✗
Branch policy on the target branch
Why it's wrong here
Branch policies on the target branch control what must happen before a PR can be completed—such as requiring reviewers, builds, or linked work items—but they never alter work item state. In Azure DevOps, policies are enforced during PR evaluation and cannot trigger a state transition on the linked work item, so they are an incorrect mechanism.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to DevOps and Azure DevOps
Key term
Azure Boards
Azure Boards is a work tracking and project management service from Microsoft that helps teams plan, track, and discuss work across the software development lifecycle using Kanban boards, backlogs, and dashboards.
Key term
Azure Repos
Azure Repos is a set of version control tools that allow teams to manage their source code, track changes, and collaborate on software projects using Git or Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC) within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-400 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-400 exam.