# Starting SpecMap

Once SpecMap has been [installed](../Setup/Requirements.md), you can open SpecMap from the **Boards** menu in Azure DevOps (or **Works** menu in TFS):

![Boards menu](../_static/images/GettingStarted/Boards_Menu.png)

Select **SpecMap** from the  menu.

- The first time you start SpecMap, you will be asked to sign in with your Microsoft Identity and set up your [SpecFlow account](https://specflow.org/2020/introducing-the-specflow-account/).
- If you have signed in with your Specflow account, the SpecMap workspace is opened.

![SpecMap areas](../_static/images/GettingStarted/SpecMap_Areas.png)

SpecMap's UI is broken down into several areas:

1. The [backlog explorer](https://specmap.cc/documentation/StartingSpecMap.html#BacklogExplorer) on the left of the screen lists your work items. You can drag these work items onto the map as user stories.
1. The [map area](https://specmap.cc/documentation/StartingSpecMap.html#MapArea) contains your story map itself. This is where you can assign user stories to user activities, prioritise stories as well as assign slices to iterations and link columns to top-level work items.
1. The [map explorer](https://specmap.cc/documentation/StartingSpecMap.html#MapExplorer) on the right lists the maps available in SpecMap. You can also export maps and clone them from here.

**Note:** The UI's appearance will differ slightly depending on your version of Azure DevOps or TFS.