Technical Documentation in Agile

1. Technical Documentation in Agile Colin Greenberg

2. Agenda • Are all team members created equal? • Obstacles to integration into the Agile team • Why writers need to step up • How to overcome co-location issues • Time-splicing strategies for busy pigs • What can the doc team do? • What every SCRUM team member should do • And the doc manager….? • Making magic – dedicated sprints • Adopting other Agile practices • Q&A

3. Are all team members created equal? “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” -George Orwell, Animal Farm

4. Obstacles to integration into the Agile team • Inability to fit two key Agile tenets • Your teams: globally dispersed, no co-location • Your teams: out of time zone • “Team” is a state of mind, not a location. • Traditional Agile focus on development and testing ignores role of writers

5. Why writers need to step up • Agile is focused on development and testing; • The original Agile paradigm assumes that projects are small and need little to no documentation. • Teams may prevent or restrict writers from entering tasks in a tracking program. • It’s easy to marginalize writers if they are introduced in the middle of a project, instead of being there at the start.

6. How to overcome co-location issues • Dispersed doesn’t mean dysfunctional! • Being virtual starts with being personal. • Communicate! • Be visible and audible. • To be treated like a team member, you must act like one.

7. Time-splicing strategies • Making it work in multiple team assignments • Estimate velocity • never 100%; • adjust for variables such as number of teams, admin tasks and lead responsibility. • Identify and cultivate relationships with team stakeholders. • Address time zone issues to maximize attendance. • Attending in person or virtually?

8. What can the doc team do? • Read all about it. • Get trained. • Know the obstacles from the start and face the fears. • Promote the value writers bring to the product team. • Social media has its place.

9. What every SCRUM team member should do • Attend planning sessions. • Focus on expectations – what do you get? • Attend and participate. • Resolve obstacles offline. • Stakeholders need to know the doc tasks. • Approach, schedule, and complete tasks like all product team members.

10. And the doc manager? • At planning sessions, back up your writers. • Negotiate and agree deliveries, and reviews • Hear what is being said, answer concerns in real time • Be open and accountable. • “Done Criteria” definitions must be clear. • Make changes painful.

11. Making magic – dedicated sprints • Documentation Sprints • Dedicated iterations for reviewing and refining content • Rooted in Agile methodology • Technical ownership with the technical expert • Quality QualityQuality

12. Adopting other Agile practices • Adapting XP development pairing • XP uses short term pairing • Task Cork boards • Short term ownership • To documenting in SCRUM • Pairing length is iteration linked • Task Cork board • Ownership limited to 2 iterations • The good • Knowledge spreads like wildfire • Writers handle the task types they enjoy • Ownership responsibilities are shared • The bad • Stakeholders struggle with the changing ownership

13. Questions?

14. Summary • Location, team dispersal, and team dynamic should not stop effective doc participation in SCRUM • Doc team need to take ownership of what they do, how they do it. • Maintain their place in the team • Be innovative: doc sprints, pairing The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual. Vince Lombardi