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Agile Development has taken the world of software development by storm and led to an unprecedented amount of standardization in the process, tools, and methodology. Less well defined is how documentation is done in this new world of short development cycles, called iterations. As it turns out, not only can tech writers adapt to Agile, they can thrive in this environment!
While many LinkedIn groups, and other social sites, have chewed the fat about potential problems, there is nothing like experience to focus on what does and doesn't work in an Agile environment. I've worked at three companies that implemented Agile, to some extent or another, including my current company, who really embraced Agile in both theory and practice. This included hiring Rally coaches to train everyone and buying books and playing cards (to vote on the size of each User Story).
I want to spend a little time on Agile theory (depending on the experience of the attendees) and then really focus on the writer's role in Agile software development. I don't know all the answers but I'm pretty sure I know all the questions!
So, leave your Waterfall and Gantt charts behind and join me for a "morning-after appraisal" of Agile Documentation, your new cult.
Mike Ziegenhagen
Mike has worked as a technical writer and tech pubs manager in the software business for more than 18 years, specializing in tutorials for 3D modelers, who create content for simulations and virtual worlds. For the past two years he's worked with a team of writers in a large enterprise software company that embraced Agile software development from the top management team down to the most humble employee, yeah, that would be me.
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