Agile and documentation
Hi everyone
So- one of the items in the 'Agile Manifesto' is working software over comprehensive documentation.
I'm interested to understand how much documentation is needed. Great article here ( https://techbeacon.com/why-agile-teams-should-care-about-documentation) about documentation as part of the development process rather than laborious requirements documents that change by the time their finished. I've even read that the main documentation for Agile should be test/acceptance documents.
Can someone confirm to me what level of documentation we should have? I'm thinking:
- Basic architecture documents
- Simple explanation of how the system works
- Test documents
Think of the documentation which is needed to support the current increment so that it is usable. If any more than that were to be produced, would it be to any advantage or would it be waste?
I think this is one of the most common misconceptions. We value documentation in Agile, but we just value more Working Software. It does not mean we should not document.
I highly recommend you watch one of my videos that covers this in detail.
Jason Pearce, your documentation efforts should focus on what is needed and adds value to the customer. For example if you develop a software and it is wise to add documentation that answers users most FAQ therefore reducing the Total cost of ownership (TCO) it is an important piece and ideally should be included in the Acceptance criteria of that PBI !
Similarly your suggestion of Test Documents could usually be key documentation for companies and products that need to meet certain audit requirements. Since this is required by law/policy, it should be deemed important and considered in Definition of Done or Acceptance Criteria as it fits. If not you are adding technical debt by not doing what is mandatory and accruing future work.
Where i can download a simple project document that show all the details..