AZ-400 Configure processes and communications Practice Question
Your team uses Azure DevOps and wants to enforce that all work items must be linked to a pull request before merging. Additionally, the pull request must be approved by at least two reviewers. Which two branch policies should you enable?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'Automatically update work items' with 'Check for linked work items,' but the former only updates status after merge, while the latter enforces the link before merge.
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
✓
Require a minimum number of reviewers
Option B (Require a minimum number of reviewers) is correct because this branch policy lets you set the required reviewer count, so configuring it to two enforces that a pull request must be approved by at least two reviewers before it can complete. Option C (Check for linked work items) is correct because this policy blocks pull request completion unless at least one work item is linked, directly enforcing that all work items be associated with a pull request before merging. Option A (Automatically update work items) only changes the state of linked work items after a merge and does not require any link to exist, so it does not enforce the linking requirement. Option D (Build validation) triggers a build pipeline to validate the merge but has nothing to do with reviewer counts or work item links. Option E (Comment resolution) only requires that active pull request comments be resolved and does not enforce reviewer approvals or work item linkage.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Automatically update work items
Why it's wrong here
Automatically update work items changes the state of linked items as the pull request progresses; it never blocks completion when no link exists. It suits teams wanting status sync, not enforcement of a mandatory work-item link plus two reviewer approvals.
- ✓
Require a minimum number of reviewers
Why this is correct
Require a minimum number of reviewers enforces the approval threshold by blocking completion until the specified count of approvers signs off, satisfying the two-reviewer constraint. Configure it on the target branch's policy settings, setting the minimum to two. It does not address work item linking, so the separate "Check for linked work items" policy is also needed.
- ✓
Check for linked work items
Why this is correct
Check for linked work items enforces the work-item association requirement, blocking completion of any pull request whose linked artefacts are missing. Combined with a minimum reviewer count policy set to two, it satisfies both stem constraints within Azure Repos branch policies. Microsoft Entra ID governs identity, not linkage, so this policy remains the correct pairing.
- ✗
Build validation
Why it's wrong here
Build validation queues a pipeline and blocks completion until it succeeds, verifying code rather than work-item links or reviewer counts. It is correct when a CI build must pass before merge, not for enforcing traceability and two approvals.
- ✗
Comment resolution
Why it's wrong here
Comment resolution forces active PR comments to be resolved before completion; it does not require a linked work item or count approvals. It is the correct policy when review feedback must be addressed, not when work-item traceability and two approvers are mandated.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Designing a Build Pipeline
Key term
Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps is a Microsoft service that provides development tools for planning, building, testing, and deploying software applications using automated pipelines and collaboration features.
Key term
Check
A Check in Azure DevOps is a gating mechanism that evaluates predefined conditions before allowing a pipeline deployment to proceed to a specific environment.
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