the agile technical writer: fact or fiction?
DESCRIPTION
This presentation provides an overview about the characteristics of an agile approach to software development and how it affects the technical writer’s role in creating and managing user or technical documentation. It is intended to spark discussion about best practices for novice and experienced technical writers who are or may soon be working in an agile environment. Used in an open education resource to introduce collaborative technical writing practices.TRANSCRIPT
The ‘Agile’ Technical Writer: Fact or Fiction?
Introduction to agile for documentation
MDDE 622 AssignmentCollaborative Technical Writing PracticesDana WestPublication date: November 23, 2012 (v1)
The Agile manifesto
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Self-directed teams
Image: Bee Hive by Rebecca Leaman http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjleaman/2364448242/ CC BY-NC 2.0
Focus on stable code
Image: Meditation by Mitchell Joyce http://www.flickr.com/photos/hckyso/3870006964/ CC BY-NC 2.0
Communication, collaboration
Image: “I Scrum Daily” t-shirt by AleNunez http://www.flickr.com/photos/alenunez/444510317/ CC BY-NC 2.0
Change is a constant
Image: Tai chi in the morning - 7 by psit http://www.flickr.com/photos/psit/5253339905/ CC BY-NC 2.0
Agile in 30 seconds
Continuous stakeholder feedback
To deliver high quality code – and documentation ‘project’ chunkedinto use cases, stories and user roles through series of time-boxed sprints
Image: Stopwatch by William Warby http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/3296379139/ CC BY-NC 2.0
Do I need to know this stuff?
LEAN Agile Iterative
SCRUM
Image: Dolls in the Rain by Joe Lodge http://www.flickr.com/photos/joe57spike/5690570945/ CC BY-NC 2.0
What does this have to do with me?
IterationsUser scenarios
Scrums
Working code
User roles
Sprints
Image: BBC Micro User Guide by Jem Stone http://www.flickr.com/photos/jemstone/2348750617/ CC BY-NC 2.0
Quality is always part of the job
Ensure usefulness not conformance
Image: thumbs up by Daniel Zimmel http://www.flickr.com/photos/devnull/359791913/ CC BY-SA 2.0
The agile advantage
User stories > make documentation more task-oriented and organized
Stakeholder feedback > make documentation more useful and effective
Shorter cycles> Focus on what needs to be done - priorities
Image: Luke Skywalker by Duncan Cumming http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan/54069883/ CC BY-NC 2.0
It’s all about transparency
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Tips?
#1 – Take initiative
# 2 - Increase your product knowledge and add value, become a know-it-all
# 3- Advocate for the user – and the team
#1 – Take initiative
Increase your visibility and scrutiny Attend status/sprint meetings Take part in sprint planning
Ask about documentation impact Spell out ‘done’
What are your ‘done’ criteria?
#2 – Become a know-it-all
Learn and use the product/software I, user
Extend your writing expertise to add value
I, educator Keep them all honest
I, terminologist
#3 – Advocate for user and team
Apply timely customer input Track improvement
Help the team Hold workshops on task-oriented topic
writing, review process, guidelines and standards for writing, style guides and terminology
Recap …
Collaboration rules
It’s not about what the software does but what the user does
Be a minimalist – give them what they need
YOU add the clarityImage: Reminder 2 by bibliojojo http://www.flickr.com/photos/68509201@N08/6225701939/ CC BY-NC 2.0
Agile Alliance. The Agile manifesto (2001). Retrieved November 22, 2012 from http://www.agilealliance.org/the-alliance/the-agile-manifesto/.
Agile software development. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2012 from the Agile software development Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0.
TAgile wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2012 from the Agile Wiki: http://agile-wiki.wikispaces.com/Agile+WikiLicense: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0.
References