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Getting StartedUpdated July 3, 2026

Epic on Azure GitHub Project

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Epic on Azure GitHub Project

Centralized Project Management for Healthcare Innovation

<div style="background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%); color: white; padding: 2rem; border-radius: 15px; margin-bottom: 2rem; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h2 style="margin: 0; font-size: 2.5rem; color: white;">🚀 An Epic Bowl Of Spaghetti</h2> <p style="margin: 1rem 0 0 0; font-size: 1.2rem; opacity: 0.9;">Your central hub for Epic on Azure development coordination</p> <a href="https://github.com/orgs/optum-tech-compute/projects/11/views/1" style="display: inline-block; background: rgba(255,255,255,0.2); color: white; padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 25px; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 1rem; border: 2px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.3);">🔗 Access Project Board</a> </div>

Project Overview

Epic on Azure operates as a GitHub-centric platform, making GitHub Projects the logical choice for organizing all repositories, code (Pull Requests), and feature requests (Issues) within our healthcare technology ecosystem.

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🎯 Why "An Epic Bowl Of Spaghetti"?

Our project name reflects the complex, interconnected nature of healthcare systems – like a bowl of spaghetti, everything is connected! Our GitHub Project helps us:

  • 🔗 Unify 100+ repositories across Epic on Azure ecosystem
  • 📊 Track progress on features, bugs, and enhancements
  • 🤝 Coordinate collaboration between teams and stakeholders
  • 🏥 Maintain visibility into healthcare platform development
</div> <div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(300px, 1fr)); gap: 1.5rem; margin: 2rem 0;" markdown="1"> <div style="border: 2px solid #4CAF50; border-radius: 10px; padding: 1.5rem; background: #f8fffe;" markdown="1"> <h3 style="margin: 0 0 1rem 0; color: #2E7D32; display: flex; align-items: center;"> 📋 Issues & Features </h3> <p style="margin-bottom: 1rem;">Track feature requests, enhancements, and coordination tasks across all Epic on Azure repositories</p> <ul style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; padding-left: 1rem;"> <li>Epic integration features</li> <li>Patient portal enhancements</li> <li>Infrastructure improvements</li> <li>Security updates</li> </ul> </div> <div style="border: 2px solid #2196F3; border-radius: 10px; padding: 1.5rem; background: #f8fffe;" markdown="1"> <h3 style="margin: 0 0 1rem 0; color: #1565C0; display: flex; align-items: center;"> 🔄 Pull Requests </h3> <p style="margin-bottom: 1rem;">Monitor code changes and review progress across our distributed development teams</p> <ul style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; padding-left: 1rem;"> <li>Code review coordination</li> <li>Integration testing status</li> <li>Deployment readiness</li> <li>Quality assurance tracking</li> </ul> </div> <div style="border: 2px solid #FF9800; border-radius: 10px; padding: 1.5rem; background: #f8fffe;" markdown="1"> <h3 style="margin: 0 0 1rem 0; color: #E65100; display: flex; align-items: center;"> 🎯 Project Coordination </h3> <p style="margin-bottom: 1rem;">Organize work hierarchically with parent issues and sub-tasks for complex healthcare initiatives</p> <ul style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; padding-left: 1rem;"> <li>Epic release planning</li> <li>Multi-repo initiatives</li> <li>Dependency management</li> <li>Milestone tracking</li> </ul> </div> </div>

📊 Project Structure & Organization

🗂️ Repository Coverage

Our project automatically includes all Issues and Pull Requests from repositories in the Epic on Azure space:

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Included Repository Patterns:

  • ohemr_* and ohemr-* - Core Epic on Azure components
  • ansible_* and ansible-* - Infrastructure automation
  • All Epic-related infrastructure and application repositories

Total Coverage: 100+ repositories and growing 📈

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🏠 Central Hub: Issue Tracker Repository

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ohemr-issue-tracker serves as our central coordination hub for:

  • 🔗 Cross-repository initiatives - Features spanning multiple repos
  • 📋 Parent issues - High-level epics with multiple sub-tasks
  • 🎯 Program-level planning - Strategic initiatives and roadmap items
  • 🤝 Team coordination - Issues that don't belong to specific repositories

Decision Logic:

  • Single repo scope → Create issue in specific repository
  • Multi-repo scope → Create parent issue in ohemr-issue-tracker
  • Strategic initiative → Use ohemr-issue-tracker for coordination
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🎛️ Kanban Board Workflow

Our project uses a Kanban-style board with 6 status columns to track work progression:

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(200px, 1fr)); gap: 1rem; margin: 2rem 0;" markdown="1"> <div style="background: #f8f9fa; border: 2px solid #6c757d; border-radius: 8px; padding: 1rem; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #495057;">🆕 New</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; color: #6c757d;">Default status for new Issues and PRs</p> </div> <div style="background: #fff3cd; border: 2px solid #ffc107; border-radius: 8px; padding: 1rem; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #856404;">📋 Backlog</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; color: #856404;">Reviewed and prioritized for future work</p> </div> <div style="background: #d4edda; border: 2px solid #28a745; border-radius: 8px; padding: 1rem; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #155724;">🔖 Ready</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; color: #155724;">Queued and ready for development</p> </div> <div style="background: #cce5ff; border: 2px solid #007bff; border-radius: 8px; padding: 1rem; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #004085;">🏗 In Progress</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; color: #004085;">Actively being worked on</p> </div> <div style="background: #fce4ec; border: 2px solid #e91e63; border-radius: 8px; padding: 1rem; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #880e4f;">👀 In Review</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; color: #880e4f;">Awaiting feedback or approvals</p> </div> <div style="background: #d1ecf1; border: 2px solid #17a2b8; border-radius: 8px; padding: 1rem; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #0c5460;">✅ Done</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0; color: #0c5460;">Completed items (hidden in most views)</p> </div> </div> 
Some items may skip stages or move backward based on priority changes or feedback.

🔧 Automated Project Integration

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⚡ Auto-Add Workflow Challenge

The built-in Auto-add to project UI workflow is convenient but does not scale well across the 100+ repositories in the Epic on Azure ecosystem (the per-project repository selector is awkward at this scale, and historical limits have changed without notice — verify against the current GitHub Projects docs before relying on a specific number).

Our Solution: Every repository includes an automated GitHub Actions workflow that adds new Issues and PRs to our project. This pattern scales to any number of repositories and is independent of UI auto-add limits.

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🤖 GitHub Actions Integration

Each repository includes this automated workflow to ensure comprehensive project coverage:

name: Add New Issues To An Epic Bowl Of Spaghetti

on:
  issues:
    types:
      - opened
      - reopened
  pull_request:
    types:
      - opened
      - reopened

jobs:
  add-to-project:
    name: Add issue to project
    runs-on:
      group: nomad-epic-actions-runner
    steps:
      - uses: actions/add-to-project@v1
        with:
          project-url: https://github.com/orgs/optum-tech-compute/projects/11
          github-token: ${{ secrets.OHEMR_ACTION_PAT_CLASSIC }}

What this workflow does:

  • 🔄 Automatically triggered when Issues or PRs are opened/reopened
  • 📌 Adds items to project without manual intervention
  • 🏃‍♂️ Runs on Epic infrastructure for security and performance
  • 🔐 Uses secure authentication with organization-level token

🏷️ Metadata & Custom Fields

Our project uses rich metadata to organize and prioritize work effectively:

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr)); gap: 1rem; margin: 2rem 0;" markdown="1"> <div style="background: #e8f5e8; padding: 1rem; border-radius: 8px; border-left: 4px solid #4caf50;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #2e7d32;">📊 Status Tracking</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0.5rem 0;"><strong>Status:</strong> 🆕 New, 📋 Backlog, 🔖 Ready, 🏗 In Progress, 👀 In Review, ✅ Done</p> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0;"><strong>Sub-issues Progress:</strong> Visual progress bar for parent issues</p> </div> <div style="background: #e3f2fd; padding: 1rem; border-radius: 8px; border-left: 4px solid #2196f3;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #1565c0;">⚡ Priority Management</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0.5rem 0;"><strong>Priority:</strong> 🌋 Urgent, ⛰ High, 😎 Medium, 🏖️ Low</p> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0;"><strong>Parent Milestone:</strong> Yes/No flag for major initiatives</p> </div> <div style="background: #fff3e0; padding: 1rem; border-radius: 8px; border-left: 4px solid #ff9800;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin: 0 0 0.5rem 0; color: #f57c00;">📅 Time Management</h4> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0.5rem 0;"><strong>Due Date:</strong> Target completion date</p> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0.5rem 0;"><strong>Start Date:</strong> When work begins</p> <p style="font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0;"><strong>Reviewed On:</strong> Last review date</p> </div> </div>

📋 Complete Field Reference

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Field NameTypeOptions/Description
StatusSingle-select🆕 New, 📋 Backlog, 🔖 Ready, 🏗 In progress, 👀 In review, ✅ Done
Sub-issues ProgressProgress barNumerical values with visual segmented bar
PrioritySingle-select🌋 Urgent, ⛰ High, 😎 Medium, 🏖️ Low
Due DateDateTarget completion date
Start DateDatePlanned or actual start date
Parent MilestoneYes/NoIndicates major program milestone
Reviewed OnDateLast stakeholder review date
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🎯 Best Practices for Project Management

📝 Creating Effective Issues

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Issue Creation Guidelines:

🎯 Use descriptive titles with Conventional Commits prefixes (the same canonical types this org's commit ruleset enforces — bug: and epic: are not valid):

  • feat: Add patient portal SSO integration
  • fix: Epic API timeout in production
  • docs: Update deployment procedures
  • feat(epic-rollout): Q3 Patient Experience Enhancement (use a scope rather than an invented epic: type)

📝 Include comprehensive descriptions:

  • User story (if applicable)
  • Acceptance criteria
  • Technical requirements
  • Dependencies and blockers
  • Epic/Parent issue links

🏷️ Apply appropriate labels:

  • Component: epic-integration, patient-portal, infrastructure
  • Type: enhancement, bug, security, documentation
  • Priority: critical, high, medium, low
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🔗 Managing Issue Hierarchies

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Parent-Child Relationship Strategy:

🌳 Epic Level (Parent Issues in ohemr-issue-tracker)

Epic: Q3 Patient Portal Enhancement
├── Issue: Implement SSO with Epic (ohemr-patient-portal)
├── Issue: Add real-time vitals dashboard (ohemr-patient-portal)
├── PR: Update authentication middleware (ohemr-auth-service)
└── Issue: Security review and penetration testing (ohemr-security)

📋 Benefits of Hierarchical Organization:

  • 👀 Visibility - Track progress across multiple repositories
  • 🎯 Focus - Break large initiatives into manageable tasks
  • 📊 Reporting - Automatic progress rollup to stakeholders
  • 🤝 Coordination - Clear ownership and dependencies
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📊 Using Project Views Effectively

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Recommended Views for Different Roles:

🛠️ Developer View

  • Filter: assignee:@me and status:Ready,In Progress
  • Sort: Priority (High to Low), then Due Date
  • Purpose: Focus on your active work

👥 Team Lead View

  • Filter: label:your-team
  • Group by: Status
  • Purpose: Monitor team progress and blockers

🎯 Program Manager View

  • Filter: Parent Milestone:Yes
  • Group by: Priority
  • Purpose: Track strategic initiatives and milestones

📈 Stakeholder View

  • Filter: label:stakeholder-facing
  • Sort: Due Date
  • Purpose: Report on customer-visible deliverables
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🔍 Navigation & Search Tips

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 2rem; margin: 2rem 0;" markdown="1"> <div style="background: #f0fff4; border-left: 4px solid #28a745; padding: 1.5rem; border-radius: 4px;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin-top: 0; color: #155724;">🔍 Advanced Search</h4>

Filter Syntax:

# Search by status
status:"In Progress"

# Filter by assignee
assignee:@username

# Multiple criteria
priority:High status:Ready

# Repository specific
repo:ohemr-patient-portal

# Date ranges
created:>2024-01-01

Saved Searches:

  • Save frequently used filters
  • Share views with team members
  • Create role-specific dashboards
</div> <div style="background: #f8f0ff; border-left: 4px solid #6f42c1; padding: 1.5rem; border-radius: 4px;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin-top: 0; color: #3d1a78;">⚡ Keyboard Shortcuts</h4>

Essential Shortcuts:

  • Ctrl/Cmd + K - Quick search
  • G + I - Go to Issues
  • G + P - Go to Pull Requests
  • / - Focus search box
  • ? - Show all shortcuts

Project Navigation:

  • Use browser bookmarks for frequent views
  • Pin important project tabs
  • Set up browser notifications
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📈 Analytics & Reporting

📊 Project Insights

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Built-in Analytics:

🔥 Throughput tracking

  • Issues closed per rolling time window (we do not run agile sprints — track by week or month)
  • Average time in each status
  • PR merge time analysis
  • Team flow metrics

📋 Work Distribution

  • Issues by priority and status
  • Workload by assignee
  • Repository activity heatmap
  • Label-based categorization

🎯 Quality Metrics

  • Issue resolution time
  • PR review turnaround
  • Reopened issue rate
  • Stakeholder satisfaction
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📑 Custom Reports

Creating Stakeholder Reports:

  1. Filter for visibility - Use appropriate labels and milestones
  2. Export data - GitHub Projects supports CSV export
  3. Automate updates - Use GitHub API for automated reporting
  4. Share insights - Create shareable project board views

🛠️ Administrative Resources

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Project Administration

Project Maintainers: Epic on Azure Platform Team Organization: optum-tech-compute Visibility: Internal (organization members only)

Permissions Model:

  • 👑 Admin: Platform team leaders
  • ✏️ Write: All Epic on Azure team members
  • 👀 Read: Organization members and stakeholders

Adding New Repositories:

  1. Include the add-to-project.yml workflow
  2. Configure appropriate labels and templates
  3. Update team notifications and review assignments
  4. Document repository purpose and ownership
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🔧 Integration Setup

Setting up the Auto-Add Workflow:

  1. Copy workflow file from ohemr-action-library
  2. Place in repository at .github/workflows/add-to-project.yml
  3. Commit and push to enable automation
  4. Test functionality by creating a test issue

Required Secrets:

  • OHEMR_ACTION_PAT_CLASSIC - Organization-level personal access token
  • Configured at organization level for all repositories

🎓 Training & Support

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr)); gap: 1rem; margin: 2rem 0;" markdown="1"> <div style="background: #e8f5e8; padding: 1rem; border-radius: 8px; border-left: 4px solid #4caf50;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin-top: 0; color: #2e7d32;">📚 Learning Resources</h4> <ul style="margin: 0; padding-left: 1rem; font-size: 0.9rem;"> <li><a href="https://docs.github.com/en/issues/planning-and-tracking-with-projects">GitHub Projects Documentation</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.github.com/en/issues/using-labels-and-milestones-to-track-work/managing-labels">Labels Guide</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.github.com/en/issues/using-labels-and-milestones-to-track-work/about-milestones">Milestones Guide</a></li> <li>Epic on Azure Project Management Training</li> </ul> </div> <div style="background: #e3f2fd; padding: 1rem; border-radius: 8px; border-left: 4px solid #2196f3;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin-top: 0; color: #1565c0;">🤝 Support Channels</h4> <ul style="margin: 0; padding-left: 1rem; font-size: 0.9rem;"> <li><strong>Teams:</strong> #epic-azure-project-mgmt</li> <li><strong>Email:</strong> [email protected]</li> <li><strong>Office Hours:</strong> Fridays 2-3 PM CT</li> <li><strong>Project board:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/orgs/optum-tech-compute/projects/11/views/1">An Epic Bowl Of Spaghetti</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="background: #fff3e0; padding: 1rem; border-radius: 8px; border-left: 4px solid #ff9800;" markdown="1"> <h4 style="margin-top: 0; color: #f57c00;">🚨 Important Reminders</h4> <ul style="margin: 0; padding-left: 1rem; font-size: 0.9rem;"> <li><strong>Break/Fix Issues:</strong> Use ServiceNow, not GitHub</li> <li><strong>Security Incidents:</strong> Follow security incident procedures</li> <li><strong>Production Issues:</strong> Contact on-call team immediately</li> <li><strong>PHI/PII:</strong> Never include sensitive data in issues</li> </ul> </div> </div>

🎉 Ready to Organize Healthcare Innovation

<div style="background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%); color: white; padding: 2rem; border-radius: 8px; margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;" markdown="1"> <h2 style="color: white; margin-top: 0;">🚀 Master Epic on Azure Project Management!</h2> <p style="font-size: 1.1em;">With our GitHub Project system, you're equipped to coordinate complex healthcare technology initiatives across <strong>100+ repositories</strong>. Every issue and PR contributes to better patient outcomes through organized, efficient development.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0;"><strong>Remember:</strong> Good project management isn't just about tracking work—it's about enabling teams to deliver life-changing healthcare technology.</p> </div>

Quick Start Actions:

  1. 🔗 Access the Project Board and bookmark it
  2. 🔍 Create your first saved view filtered to your work
  3. 📝 Practice creating issues with proper hierarchy and metadata
  4. 🤝 Join our Teams channel for project management support

This project guide is maintained by the Epic on Azure Platform Team. Questions or suggestions? Create an issue in ohemr-issue-tracker or reach out in Teams!

Last updated: August 2025 | Impact: Coordinating healthcare innovation across 100+ repositories