1. 1. Agile Meets DITA: Developing User Documentation in an Agile Environment Nabayan Roy AutoCAD Learning Experience
2. 2. The Advent of Agile Both a philosophy and a method Set of processes for development Help create better software, faster
3. 3. The Paradigm Shifting Tenets for Writers The two tenets are: Bottom line is that there are no prescriptions for documentation.
4. 4. What Has Changed For A Writer? Functional specs are secondary Estimate developer and QA effort for documentation in a sprint Implement 80/20 rule Test features in developer builds Delegation of work within team Speak Up! Make others understand why it would take so much time to document a feature
5. 5. The Key Challenges For Writers Incremental releases, multiple scrums Incremental releases, multiple scrums Incremental development versus incremental documentation Ability to rewrite & assemble, anytime
6. 6. A Genie called Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) DITA is an OASIS standard XML data model for authoring and publishing. Created at IBM Cost-effective way to create, publish, reuse, and exchange structured content
7. 7. Defining DITA For You Darwin Information Typing ArchitectureDITA utilizes principles of inheritance for specialization DITA was designed for technical information based on a concept, task and reference architecture DITA is a model for extension both of design and processes Darwin Information Typing Architecture
8. 8. The Heart of DITA: Information Types DITA is more of an information type than a document type DITA has three types of base topics Topic Task Reference Concept
9. 9. Key Design Principles of DITA
10. 10. How does DITA Help Writers Thrive in a Scrum Team? Topic-oriented approach Leveraging user stories to produce task-based documentation Applying the principles of minimalism Fit to purpose documentation
11. 11. Topic-oriented Approach DITA organizes content into topic-based information units, with each topic describing a task, concept, or reference. Update and replace topics of information as needed Receive increased consistency Cohesive, self- contained, re-usable elements Receive a quicker time to value
12. 12. Translating User Stories into Task- based Documentation User-centric Modular documentation Measurable Relevant Task-based writing
13. 13. Minimalistic Approach Minimalism is one of the key elements of DITA Keep It Straight & Simple (KISS) and Keep It Light (KIL) Keep documentation action- oriented
14. 14. Fit To Purpose Documentation Visualize content and tasks that are granular and can be reused. Reusability flows from the topic-based paradigm in DITA Map architecture guides the assembling for incremental documentation (bottom line implementation) keeping in mind the final documentation deliverable (top-down design)
15. 15. Incremental Documentation Great documentation is a continuous effort, which evolves based on feedback on a continuous basis. Documentation, as development, is an iterative process. Leverage DITA to write your perfect document. DITA supports continuous publishing, which is any-time, any-format, and any-media.
16. 16. How it All Fits Together The Complete User Story for Creating a Web Store Front Integrated View Creating the database catalog Managing the system Designing the system Messaging notifications Task Stories in a Sprint Serving the catalog to customers
17. 17. Best Practices for An Agile Writer Hold Planning Iterations Have Pair- Writers Develop documentation design patterns
18. 18. Best Practices for An Agile Writer Be Involved, Speak Up, and Be Agile Use tools that work for you
19. 19. Engagement City
20. 20. References Articles C.Sigman, Adapting Challenges and Strategies to Scrum, Intercom magazine Jul-Aug 2007 T.Berry , A.Gentle, Writing End-User Documentation in an Agile Environment, CIDM, Jun 2006 A.Fox, M.Kramer, Mobile and Agile: The Floating Writer's Survival Kit , WritersUA 2008 Scott Nesbitt, An Introduction to DITA, InformIT, Oct 2006 Chris Benz, What is DITA and Why Should You Care?, LearnCon, Sept 2010 Books Agile Estimating and Planning, by Mike Cohn Agile Documentation, Andreas Ruping User Stories Applied for Agile Software Development ,by Mike Cohn DITA Best Practices: A Roadmap for Writing, Editing, and Architecting in DITA, by Laura Bellamy Video SDLonline Images www.flickr.com