Create and Maintain Scrum Documentation Effectively Alexandre Boutin Lean & Agile Coach - Scrum Master and Practitioner “ Process Strategy for Yahoo International Engineering” [email_address]  : +33 (0)6 45 40 23 17

Objectives What I would like you to take out? An “agile way” to look at documentation Effective ideas and practices

What I would like you to take out?

An “agile way” to look at documentation

Effective ideas and practices

SCRUM DOCUMENTATION

Documentation Challenges Time and cost consuming To create To maintain (more!) Monitoring Versions Accessibility Delivery Validation Ownership “ Don’t confuse documentation with understanding” Jim Highsmith

Time and cost consuming

To create

To maintain (more!)

Monitoring

Versions

Accessibility

Delivery

Validation

Ownership

Common Guidelines “ Travel Light” Autonomation Visibility

“ Travel Light”

“Travel Light” Principles always to keep in mind when you are writing or maintaining a document K.I.S.S. Keep It Small & Simple Simplicity, the art of maximizing the work you will not have to do Y.A.G.N.I. You aren’t Gonna Need It Reviewing draft document is not WASTE! 2 A4 pages

Principles always to keep in mind when you are writing or maintaining a document

K.I.S.S.

Keep It Small & Simple

Simplicity, the art of maximizing the work you will not have to do

Y.A.G.N.I.

You aren’t Gonna Need It

Reviewing draft document is not WASTE!

2 A4 pages

Autonomation Technical Solutions JavaDoc, Executable Requirements… Pictures “ A Picture is worth a thousand words” Capture technical design on dashboard and include the photo in the document “ In” the product User Manual integrated in final product

Technical Solutions

JavaDoc, Executable Requirements…

Pictures

“ A Picture is worth a thousand words”

Capture technical design on dashboard and include the photo in the document

“ In” the product

User Manual integrated in final product

Visibility Collaborative Wiki Everybody can access and update any documents Dashboard Much more effective than traditional reporting Demo “ Working product” rather than “Documentation”

Collaborative Wiki

Everybody can access and update any documents

Dashboard

Much more effective than traditional reporting

Demo

“ Working product” rather than “Documentation”

Agile Process Include documentation activities in definition of “Done” (Story, Sprint or Release) Consider documentation writer as a member of the team Be as inventive as possible about ways to not produce documentation “ The primary goal is to deliver software; the secondary goal is to set up for the following game” Alistair Cockburn

Include documentation activities in definition of “Done” (Story, Sprint or Release)

Consider documentation writer as a member of the team

Be as inventive as possible about ways to not produce documentation

Managing Existing Documentation

Documentation Values Customer? Needs? Documentation Reuse?

Value added for Customer? Focus on Customers Customers are users Customers have money Customers do promotion Put on customers glasses Evaluate how much each document adds value for customers

Focus on Customers

Customers are users

Customers have money

Customers do promotion

Put on customers glasses

Evaluate how much each document adds value for customers

Evaluate value for Customer Create your own list of customer values Assign a weight for each value Evaluate each document 1 0 1 5% Deploy. 1 0 1 10% Stability 1 0 0 5% Scalability 1 0 0 5% Maint. 0 1 0 30% Usability 0 1 0 25% Certif. 20% 0 Document C … … 55% 0 Document B 15% 0 Document A 100% 20% Value Fit for Purpose

Create your own list of customer values

Assign a weight for each value

Evaluate each document

Needs for documents ASK: Who is reading/using it?

ASK: Who is reading/using it?

Evaluate needs for documents Pragmatic This person reads/uses the document and provides valuable feedback to the team Mandatory We have to deliver this document (by contract, according to the norm …) Disillusion Nobody is reading it, but you know, it’s in our quality process Foolish I wrote it and someone should read it for sure. I’m saying this for years now, will someone start doing things right in this company Keep this document Ok, let’s try to reduce it to a minimum Stop doing it that way! I can help you, who is the quality director?

Pragmatic

This person reads/uses the document and provides valuable feedback to the team

Mandatory

We have to deliver this document (by contract, according to the norm …)

Disillusion

Nobody is reading it, but you know, it’s in our quality process

Foolish

I wrote it and someone should read it for sure. I’m saying this for years now, will someone start doing things right in this company

Reuse of Documents A document is written for a specific purpose at a specific time Do not maintain all existing documentation just because it exists Communicate rather than document

A document is written for a specific purpose at a specific time

Do not maintain all existing documentation just because it exists

Communicate rather than document

Evaluate reuse of documents Reuse Metrics Average time between 2 versions Longevity of last version Number of time the document is downloaded Number of time the document is really used by the team Number of time the document is reused by other teams At Yahoo, most documents are in a Wiki and employees accesses are collected

Reuse Metrics

Average time between 2 versions

Longevity of last version

Number of time the document is downloaded

Number of time the document is really used by the team

Number of time the document is reused by other teams

At Yahoo, most documents are in a Wiki and employees accesses are collected

Evaluate Document Values Define acceptance criteria Document meets criteria Keep it Simplify it Evaluate alternative options for producing same information Document does not meet criteria Stop producing this document Change your process

Define acceptance criteria

Document meets criteria

Keep it

Simplify it

Evaluate alternative options for producing same information

Document does not meet criteria

Stop producing this document

Change your process

A SIMPLE PRACTICE

Simplification Meeting All team members in a room – 1 document template Objectives Keep all sections Remove all information that does not add value Duplication of information Reduce long text Find better ways for producing information Screenshots or photos Benefits Document is simpler Team shares a common definition of the content Later document production will be faster

All team members in a room – 1 document template

Objectives

Keep all sections

Remove all information that does not add value

Duplication of information

Reduce long text

Find better ways for producing information

Screenshots or photos

Benefits

Document is simpler

Team shares a common definition of the content

Later document production will be faster

THANK YOU Alexandre Boutin Lean & Agile Coach - Scrum Master and Practitioner Founder AgileToYou [email_address]  : +33 (0)6 45 40 23 17