STALE DOCS
Published and already wrong.
Requirements in Word or Confluence have no link to your backlog. The moment a work item changes, the document lies. Teams reconcile versions instead of building.
Add Your Heading Text Here
SMART DOCS Live requirements documents from Azure DevOps
Create Living Requirements Documents, Directly Inside Azure DevOps.
Smart Docs brings the full requirements documentation lifecycle inside Azure DevOps — create structured documents, insert live work items, run formal approvals, manage versions and generate audit-ready reports all without switching tools
100% native to Azure DevOps · Word & PDF export · Server & Services
Software Requirements Specification
Acme Payments · Release 4.2 · auto-generated
3. Functional requirements
REQ-118 · Tokenized card capture
StatusApproved
REQ-119 · 3-D Secure step-up
4. Non-functional requirements
Synced from 48 work itemsupdated 4 seconds ago
Generates into the tools you already use
Azure DevOps
Microsoft Word
PDF export
Server + Services
THE PROBLEM
Documentation that lies to your team every day.
Requirements live in Word. Work lives in ADO. The gap between them costs teams weeks every quarter.
AUDIT GAPS
No trail when it matters most.
When a regulator asks who approved version 2.1 of your SRS and when — “Sarah said it looked fine over email” is not an answer. Smart Docs is.
CONTEXT SWITCHING
Three tools open, zero in sync.
BAs in Word. Engineers in ADO. PMs in SharePoint. Every hand-off is a sync risk. Every manual transfer is a potential error nobody catches until the audit.
HOW IT WORKS
From work items to a finished document in three steps.
No exporting, no reformatting, no reconciling versions. Smart Docs builds the document where your requirements already live — inside Azure DevOps.
STEP 01
Choose a template
Start from a built-in template — SRS, test plan, traceability matrix, sign-off report — or design your own with custom hierarchies, field defaults, and numbering. Build it once, reuse it everywhere.
STEP 02
Map your work items
Point the template at a query, area path, or backlog. Smart Docs pulls matching work items and their linked hierarchy directly from Azure DevOps — live, with every relationship intact.
STEP 03
Generate document and stay in sync
Produce a formatted Word or PDF in one click. Re-run anytime — the document rebuilds against the latest ADO data, every time. Switch templates and watch the same data re-flow.
WHAT YOU GET
Smart Docs capabilities that your team needs to create living requirements documents
TEMPLATE DESIGNER
Build reusable templates for every document type.
Design the exact work item hierarchy your document needs — set Root Work Item Type, default field values, inherited properties and display columns per node. Mark nodes as Recursive for flexible nesting. Save to the Meta Templates library and every new Smart Doc starts with the correct structure instantly.
LIVING DOCUMENTS
Documents that always reflect your ADO backlog.
Every work item in a Smart Doc is a live reference to Azure DevOps. Changes made in the backlog by any team member reflect in the document automatically. There is no export step, no manual reconciliation and no version drift between the document and the backlog.
COPILOT4DEVOPS
AI-powered document preparation.
Generate any work item type from existing content, raw descriptions, use cases or scenarios. Summarize, paraphrase or convert content into different formats. Generate diagrams and insert them directly into the document. Transform any work item field without leaving the Smart Doc — all powered by AI inside Azure DevOps.
NATIVE
Runs natively inside Azure DevOps.
Smart Docs runs where your team already works — Server or Services. No data leaves your tenant. No separate tool to license, administer or maintain alongside ADO. Every Smart Doc, template and work item lives entirely within your existing Azure DevOps environment.
SMART EDIT
Rich text inline editing inside the document.
Click Smart Edit on any work item to open a full rich text editor — bold, italic, tables, links, images and paragraph styles — without leaving the document. Navigate between work items using the arrow controls. Save changes without closing the pane and continue editing the next item immediately.
HIERARCHY INSERTION
Insert full work item trees in one drag.
Open the Insert Work Items pane and source items by query or search. Insert a single item, a multi-item selection or an entire Epic-Feature-Story-Test hierarchy in one drag. A green highlight confirms a valid drop position. Every inserted item stays connected to ADO in real time.
CLONE
Copy any Smart Doc to another project.
Clone any Smart Doc to a different project or folder in one action. Choose whether to link cloned work items back to the source, carry over existing attachments and links, and create an initial version of the clone. The cloned document opens immediately in the destination project ready to edit.
SAVE AS
Export to Word, PDF or document library.
Click Save As to export any Smart Doc as a formatted Word document or PDF using your organization’s branded dotx templates. Save directly to the Document Management library for team-wide access without downloading. Choose from saved templates or upload a custom template for branded output.
GOVERNANCE & CONTROLS
Compliance isn’t an add-on. It’s built into every document.
Every governance capability below is native to Smart Docs inside Azure DevOps — no external tools, no manual paper trail reconstruction.
APPROVAL
Formal sign-off with a permanent record.
Assign Reviewers and Approvers per document. Rejection requires a written comment — the system enforces it. Every decision is timestamped, attributed, and retrievable on demand.
BASELINE
Immutable snapshots for auditors.
Freeze any document state at any milestone. Baselines cannot be altered after creation — making them admissible as certification evidence for FDA, FAA, TÜV, and ISO audits.
VERSION HISTORY
Create document versions and compare changes
Compare any two document versions and see exactly what changed, in which field, by whom, and when. Export as a Summary or Detailed Difference Report in Word or PDF.
AUDIT REPORTS
One click. Audit-ready PDF.
Generate an Approval Audit Report — every approver’s name, role, decision, comment, and timestamp — in a single action. No manual compilation. No reconstructed evidence.
ROLLBACK
Restore approved states instantly.
If requirements drift from their formally approved state, Rollback restores any work item to its baseline revision. The rollback itself is logged as a new ADO revision.
ACCESS CONTROL
ADO permissions. No duplicates.
Smart Docs inherits Azure DevOps security groups entirely. No separate permission system to configure or sync. Who can see, edit, and approve is governed by your existing ADO roles.
Built for the standards your audits demand
DO-178CDO-254IEC 62304ISO 26262ASPICEEN 50128IEC 61508FDA 21 CFR Part 11GAMP 5SOXDORAFedRAMPHIPAAMIL-STD-882EISO 9001
BUILT FOR EVERY ROLE
Every role on your team has a specific reason to use Smart Docs
Business analysts, safety engineers, compliance managers, and program directors — Smart Docs fits every seat in the room.
Business Analyst
Requirements author
A business analyst creates BRDs and functional specifications using a Meta Template. Work items authored in the document become real ADO records instantly. When developers or stakeholders update work items in the ADO backlog, those changes reflect automatically in the Smart Doc, keeping the requirements document always current without manual reconciliation.
Product Owner
Living backlog owner
A product owner inserts sprint backlog items into a Smart Doc instead of maintaining a separate spec that drifts from ADO. When acceptance criteria change in the backlog, the document reflects the update automatically, keeping the product specification permanently in sync.
Systems Engineer
Requirements hierarchy owner
A systems engineer structures multi-level requirements using a custom Meta Template, with System Requirements decomposing into Subsystem, Software and Hardware nodes. The Recursive setting allows the same work item type to nest as deep as the system architecture requires, without any manual link configuration.
Technical Writer
Document author
A technical writer uses Smart Edit to author rich-text documents, including tables, images and paragraph styles, directly inside ADO without backlog management experience. The Document View toggle shows all formatted content alongside work item fields, providing a complete, Word-like document view at any time.
QA Lead
Test documentation owner
A QA lead inserts the full Epic-Feature-Story-Test hierarchy from a sprint query in one drag. The document stays connected to ADO; when test cases are updated, the Smart Doc reflects the change automatically. The completed plan is then shared as a formatted Smart Report.
Compliance Manager
Compliance document owner
A compliance manager maintains quality manuals and SOPs as Smart Docs, with each clause as a structured work item. Bulk Edit applies a review date field across all clauses simultaneously. The document is sent for formal review from the toolbar, and the Approval Audit Report is generated on closure.
Safety Engineer
Safety requirements owner
A safety engineer structures HARA documentation using a custom Meta Template, with Hazardous Events at the root and Safety Goals as child nodes. Copilot4DevOps generates initial safety requirement candidates from high-level hazard descriptions, which the engineer reviews and refines before formal ADO entry.
Project Manager
Scope document owner
A project manager maintains project scope as a Smart Doc permanently connected to the ADO backlog. At kickoff, a baseline is created directly from the document to freeze the agreed scope. The document always reflects the current backlog state, providing live scope visibility without status chasing.
Regulatory Affairs Manager
Submission document owner
A regulatory affairs manager creates 510(k) summaries and Technical File documents as Smart Docs, with each section as an ADO work item. Save As exports the document using the organization’s branded dotx template, and the completed file is saved to Document Management for the submission team.
Software Architect
Architecture document owner
A software architect maintains Architecture Decision Records as a Smart Doc, with each decision captured as an ADO work item containing context, options and rationale. Clone copies the document to a new project at program start, linked back to the source for cross-project traceability.
Scrum Master
Team documentation owner
A Scrum Master maintains the team’s Definition of Done as a Smart Doc, where each criterion is a real ADO User Story. When the working agreement is updated, a new named version is created. The Compare tab shows exactly what changed from the previous agreed version.
Test Manager
Verification document owner
A test manager creates the Software Verification and Validation Plan as a Smart Doc structured by DO-178C required sections. Copilot4DevOps generates test case descriptions and test scripts from User Story acceptance criteria. The completed plan is shared as a Smart Report with the certification authority.
INDUSTRY USE CASES
Industry specific use cases of Smart Docs
See how teams across aerospace, defense, medtech, automotive and finance use Smart Docs to meet the exact documentation requirements their standards demand
ARP4754A / SAE
Systems integration engineer
ARP4754A interface control document
An aircraft systems integration team needs an Interface Control Document referencing requirements from multiple ADO projects without creating permanent traceability links. Ghost Link is enabled in the Meta Template so interface requirements appear in the ICD for authoring and review, without creating ADO relationship records that affect downstream traceability.
IEC 62304 / FDA 21 CFR Part 820
Regulatory affairs manager
IEC 62304 version-controlled DHF document
A medical device software team maintains the Software Requirements Specification as a Smart Doc for the Design History File. Named version snapshots are captured at SRR, PDR and CDR. The Compare tab shows which requirements changed between milestones, and Save As exports the document using the DHF branded template for the 510(k) submission.
ISO 26262 / ASPICE
Functional safety engineer
AI-assisted ISO 26262 HARA authoring
A functional safety engineer uses Copilot4DevOps to accelerate HARA documentation. Copilot generates structured Safety Goal and FSR work items from high-level hazard descriptions. The Paraphrase transformation rewrites verbose safety text into concise, unambiguous statements aligned with ISO 26262 writing conventions, significantly reducing manual drafting time.
EN 50128 / EN 50129
Systems safety engineer
EN 50128 full hierarchy insertion
A railway software team has an existing EN 50128 requirement set in ADO, organized from System Requirements through Software Requirements to Test Cases. The engineer enables Select all work items in hierarchy, clicks the top-level Epic and drags the entire tree into the document in one action, with correct numbering and structure intact.
GAMP 5 / EU GMP Annex 11
Validation lead
GAMP 5 reusable validation template
A validation lead rebuilds the document structure manually for every validation project. After completing the first project’s Smart Doc, Save As Template converts the URS, Functional Specification and risk assessment structure into a reusable Meta Template. Every subsequent project starts with the GAMP 5-compliant hierarchy applied instantly.
SOX Section 404 / COBIT
IT compliance lead
SOX ITGC document cloned across entities
A banking group needs the same ITGC compliance requirement set across three subsidiary entities, each in a separate ADO project. After reviewing the master Smart Doc at group level, Clone copies it to each subsidiary’s project with work items linked back to the source, while the group document remains the single source of truth.
FedRAMP / NIST SP 800-53
Cloud security controls engineer
FedRAMP control owner bulk assignment
After creating the System Security Plan as a Smart Doc with 325 NIST controls organized by control family, the security controls engineer selects all controls within a family and uses Edit Work Items to apply the Assigned To field across all selected controls simultaneously, completing in one action what would otherwise take hours.
MIL-STD-882E / PESHE
System safety manager
MIL-STD-882E formatted safety plan
A system safety manager maintains the System Safety Plan as a Smart Doc with each safety task as an ADO work item. After authoring rich-text descriptions using Smart Edit, Document View displays descriptions, fields and hierarchy together, exactly as it will appear to the Government Safety Office at the SDR review.
HIPAA Security Rule / HITRUST
Healthcare IT compliance manager
HIPAA document shared with external auditors
A healthcare IT compliance team maintains HIPAA safeguard requirements as a Smart Doc inside ADO. When the HITRUST assessor requests a formatted document, the compliance manager generates a Smart Report using the organization’s branded Word template and shares it directly, without giving the assessor ADO access.
IEC 61508 / IEC 61511
Functional safety engineer
IEC 61508 nested safety function requirements
A functional safety engineer uses Recursive nodes in the Meta Template to structure complex SIL 3 safety function requirements. A Safety Function contains a Sub-Function, which contains another Sub-Function, representing hierarchical decomposition of protection layers. The same work item type nests as deep as the safety architecture requires, without manual template restructuring.
Internal release gates / Agile delivery
Product manager
AI-generated release requirement summaries
Before each major release, a product manager uses the Copilot4DevOps Summarize transformation to generate a one-paragraph summary for each Feature work item. Each summary is inserted into the Description field, giving stakeholders a readable version of every requirement alongside the formal specification, without the product manager writing manually.
3GPP TS 38.104 / GCF-PTCRB
Standards compliance product manager
3GPP standard revision change tracking
A telecom standards compliance manager maintains 3GPP TS 38.104 conformance requirements as a Smart Doc. When a new standard release is published, the manager updates affected work items and captures a new named version snapshot. The Compare tab shows exactly which requirements changed, were added or were removed between the two standard versions.
WHERE TEAMS USE IT
Built for teams that ship without surprises.
COMPLIANCE
Audit-ready by default.
Generate sign-off reports tied to baselines and revisions. Reproduce any approved document on demand. The Approval Audit Report is one click away — not a week of email archaeology.
REGULATED
Evidence without the scramble.
FDA, ISO, IEC, and FAA submissions need traceable specs. Smart Docs produces them straight from your ADO work items — structured, versioned, and formally approved before you export.
DELIVERY
Specs your devs trust.
Hand engineering a document that always matches the backlog — no drift between the doc and the work. Developers build what the document says because the document is the backlog.
LEADERSHIP
Status without the deck.
Release summaries and coverage reports assembled from live ADO data, ready for the steering committee. No one spends Friday afternoon pulling numbers into a PowerPoint.
THE IMPACT
Documentation that works as hard as your team.
70%
Less time spent preparing audit evidence packages each quarter
1-click
From a live ADO query to a formatted Word or PDF document
0
Stale exports — every doc rebuilds from live Azure DevOps data
100%
Traceability surfaced in-document — requirements, tests, and PRs linked
FAQS
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Smart Docs sits on top. Every requirement you create or import is a real ADO work item — in the backlog, in queries, in dashboards. Smart Docs is the structured document view of data that already lives in your ADO project.
Yes. Smart Docs supports concurrent multi-user editing without check-in/check-out. Each user’s changes are saved as new ADO work item revisions, building a per-user change history automatically.
A Wiki page stores static text with no connection to your backlog. A Smart Doc is a live document where every row is a real ADO work item. Changes to the backlog appear in the document — and vice versa.
Microsoft Word (.docx), PDF, and HTML — using your organization’s branded templates and stylesheets. Exports are generated in selected format that can be saved to a shared library inside ADO or downloaded directly.
Yes. The Template Designer lets you define any work item hierarchy, default field values, display columns, link types, and numbering scheme. Save once, reuse across every team in the ADO organization.
Every saved state is preserved. The Version Management tab lists all historical versions. Select any two and generate a field-level Difference Report — which field changed, from what value, to what value, and when.
DO-178C, DO-254, IEC 62304, ISO 26262, ASPICE, EN 50128, IEC 61508, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GAMP 5, SOX, DORA, FedRAMP, NIST SP 800-53, HIPAA, MIL-STD-882E, ISO 9001, and more — as the authoring, review, baseline, and audit reporting environment those standards require.
Yes. Smart Docs is certified for both Azure DevOps Services (cloud) and Azure DevOps Server (on-premises). Teams with air-gapped or data-residency requirements can run it entirely on their own infrastructure.
Copilot4DevOps drafts new work items, generates user stories from feature descriptions, and elicits requirement candidates from uploaded specs — all inside the document. So, no data leaves your ADO tenant.
The document preserves its structure and flags the row as unavailable — it does not silently remove it. The recommended practice is to use the Remove function within Smart Docs, which removes the reference without deleting the underlying ADO work item.
Smart Docs inherits Azure DevOps project permissions entirely. No separate permission system is required. Review approver authority is controlled per review cycle. Template creation can be restricted to specific ADO security groups.
GET STARTED
Start Creating Living Requirements Documents Inside Azure DevOps
Smart Docs is part of MR NextGen — built natively inside Azure DevOps. Every inserted work item stays connected to your backlog so your requirements documents update automatically with zero manual effort.
No migration required · Free trial available · No credit card required · Azure DevOps Server & Services
EXPLORE MR NEXTGEN
Complete Your Requirements Workflow With the Full MR NextGen
Every feature below connects directly to your Smart Docs — no separate configuration required.
Trace Analysis
Visualize end-to-end requirement traceability in horizontal and intersection matrices. Identify untested requirements and coverage gaps before auditors do.
Explore Trace Analysis →Baseline
Create immutable requirement snapshots at any milestone. Compare field-by-field, roll back to approved states, and copy baselines to supplier ADO projects.
Explore Baseline →Review Management
Structured multi-stakeholder approval workflows for any ADO work item set — not just Smart Docs. Generate Approval Audit Reports and Review Results Reports.
Explore Review Management →Version Package Management
Group work items into formal version packages by release or delivery milestone. Compare package versions and manage platform-specific variants in one place.
Explore VPM →Copilot4DevOps
The only AI requirements assistant built natively inside Azure DevOps. Elicit, generate, analyze, and transform requirements without leaving your ADO project.
Explore Copilot4DevOps →Smart Reports
One-click formatted output from any Smart Doc, traceability matrix, or ADO query — in Word, PDF, or HTML using your branded templates.
Explore Smart Reports →
