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The presentation helps you apply useful principles from agile methodologies for developing technical documentation. It also highlights the features common to agile development processes and helps you understand user stories and learn to translate user stories into task-oriented topics. You also learn to use various collaboration tools that can facilitate writing.
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Technical Writing in an Agile Development Environment
A Writer’s Perspective
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Objectives
Learn to apply useful principles from agile methodologies
Highlight the features common to agile development processes
Understand user stories and learn to translate user stories into task-oriented topics
Learn to use various collaboration tools that can facilitate writing
Learn to be adaptive
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The Agile Parable
A pig and a chicken are walking down a road. The chicken looks at the pig and says, "Hey, why don't we open a restaurant?" The pig looks back at the chicken and says, "Good idea, what do you want to call it?"
The chicken thinks about it and says, "Why don't we call it 'Ham and Eggs'?"
"I don't think so," says the pig, "I'd be committed but you'd only be involved.”
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Who’s Who in Agile
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Scrum Origins
The new product development game - Tekeuchi and Nonaka
A group of 17 individuals got together in Colorado in 2001 to form the Agile manifesto.
Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber Initial definitions of Scrum at OOPSLA 96 Not just for trivial projects
FDA-approved, life-critical software for x-rays and MRIs
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The Agile Manifesto
Over
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Phases of Scrum– From Concept to Execution
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The Scrum Development Process
Daily Scrum•Hosted by ScrumMaster•Attended by all, but Stakeholders don’t speak•Same time every day•Answer: 1) What did you do yesterday? 2) What will you do today? 3) What’s in your way?•Team updates Sprint Backlog; Scrum Master updates Blocks List
POPO
Product Owner: Sets priorities
SMSM
ScrumMaster: Manages process,
removes blocks
TT
Team (Pigs): Develops product
SHSH
Stakeholders (Chickens):
observe & advise
Key Artifacts
Product Backlog•List of requirements & issues•Owned by Product Owner•Anybody can add to it•Only Product Owner prioritizes
Product Backlog•List of requirements & issues•Owned by Product Owner•Anybody can add to it•Only Product Owner prioritizes
Sprint Goal•One-sentence summary•Declared by Product Owner•Accepted by team
Sprint Goal•One-sentence summary•Declared by Product Owner•Accepted by team
Sprint Backlog•List of tasks•Owned by team•Only team modifies it
Sprint Backlog•List of tasks•Owned by team•Only team modifies it
Blocks List•List of blocks & unmade decisions•Owned by ScrumMaster•Updated daily
Blocks List•List of blocks & unmade decisions•Owned by ScrumMaster•Updated daily
Increment•Version of the product•Shippable functionality (tested, documented, etc.)
Increment•Version of the product•Shippable functionality (tested, documented, etc.)
Key MeetingsSprint Planning Meeting•Hosted by ScrumMaster; ½-1 day•In: Product Backlog, existing product, business & technology conditions1. Select highest priority items in Product Backlog; declare Sprint Goal2. Team turns selected items into Sprint BacklogOut:: Sprint Goal, Sprint Backlog
Sprint Review Meeting•Hosted by ScrumMaster•Attended by all•Informal, 4-hour, informational•Team demos Increment•All discuss•Hold retrospective•Announce next Sprint Planning Meeting
Product BacklogProduct Backlog
Development Process
IncrementIncrement
Sprint Planning Meeting
Daily Scrum
Daily Work
Sprint Goal
Sprint Goal
Sprint BacklogSprint
Backlog
Blocks List
Blocks List
Product Product
Sprint Review Meeting
Sprint: 15-30 days
each
Product Backlog’Product Backlog’
Increment’Increment’
Copyright 2004, William C. Wake, [email protected], www.xp123.com
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Agile System Development Lifecycle
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Overlapping Development in Scrum
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Waterfall vs. Agile
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Making the Transition How can I adapt myself to Scrum?
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Design Documents
Moving from specs to user story documents Shorter, more fluid documents Allows for easier refinement and rework upon
customer feedback Helps the writers to not get bogged down in lengthy
specs
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User Stories- What is it?
A software system requirement
Defines what is to be built
Prioritized, make up the backlog
Stories may be related together as “features” or “themes”
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User Stories
As a … < role> …
I want … <short description of feature> …
So that … <value or why need functionality> …
Examples: As a sales manager I want to view the sales report so that I
can know the sales for this quarter.
As a regular traveler I want my cell-phone to wake me up at a set time so that I do not need to pack an alarm clock.
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Acceptance Criteria
A common acceptance criteria template:
Given … <some initial context > …
When … <an event occurs> …
Then … <ensure some outcomes> …
Given my cell-phone is switched off when the time for my alarm is reached then turn the cell-phone on and sound the alarm.
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Topic-Oriented Writing
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Topic-Oriented Writing
Authoring concise, self-contained units of information about a specific topic
Concept
Task
Reference
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Using Minimalism
Choose an action-oriented approach to your documentation
Promote learning by doing rather than by reading
Evaluate what to trim and why (‘Just enough’ documentation)
Focus on troubleshooting advice
Identify opportunities to replace text with graphics
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Benefits of Using Minimalism
Pushes us to be more user-focused
Makes us look out for redundant information
Drives us to cut costs while delivering better information
Portrays us like we understood our role better
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Collaborate
Use a collaboration tool (e.g. wiki)
Attend daily scrum meetings
Be detailed and specific when you are seeking information
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Using Wikis
Image Copyright @ Atlassian
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Best Practices for Wiki Implementation
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Using Wikis as an Input for Docs
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Backlog is Your Friend
The Backlog in Scrum is the Technical Writer’s best friend.
Work with the dev team to understand the tasks
You can re-plan a Sprint in the mid-Sprint
Allocate some time in the Sprint for maintenance and patches.
Backlog is NOT DONE if the end-user documentation is not complete
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Document Reviews in Scrum
Use drafts
Write doc for a feature that is developed and tested in the Sprint
Have Dev/QA review the doc for technical accuracy before closing the user story
Make the required edits
Publish IT
Present the doc to the PO in the exit meeting
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Before the Release
Have a stabilization sprint for the document cleanups, versioning, and help integration.
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Vertical Doc Team Structure – Writer Aligned to the Scrum Teams
Writer
Product ABC Product XYZ Released products Legacy Products
Feature A Feature B
Feature A
Feature B
Feature A
Feature B Bugs/Minor Fixes
Patches
Life Support
Steve
Maria
Marc
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Scrum in Action
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The Benefits of Writing in an Agile Environment
Questions?
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Sources and Bibliography
Agile Estimating and Planning, Mike Cohn, Prentice Hall, 2006.
Agile Project Management with Scrum, Ken Schwaber, Microsoft Press, 2004.
Writing Effective Use Cases, Alistair Cockburn, Addison Wesley, 2001.
Agile Development: Challenges in Transforming Technical Communications Departments, Mike Wethington.
“An Overview of Scrum”, Mike Cohn, http://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/presentation/30-an-overview-of-scrum , 2008
“Writing End-User Documentation in an Agile Development Environment,” Anne Gentle & Tana Berry, http://justwriteclick.com/2007/07/02/writing-end-user-documentation-in-an-agile-development-environment/ , 2007.
Thank You
