Comments on: Does Your Paperwork Add Value? http://practicalanalyst.com/2008/09/10/does-your-paperwork-add-value/ Practical Insight for Business Analysts and Project Professionals Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:53:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Agile driven requirements at BA Rocks! http://practicalanalyst.com/2008/09/10/does-your-paperwork-add-value/comment-page-1/#comment-887 Agile driven requirements at BA Rocks! Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:09:51 +0000 http://jonathanbabcock.com/?p=267#comment-887 [...] Working software over comprehensive development - we are there to create a system, not documents (although it is noted that documentation is important for our understanding of the system and some documentation is required to understand how and why a system was built). As Jonathan recently asked in his blog does paperwork really add any value? [...] [...] Working software over comprehensive development – we are there to create a system, not documents (although it is noted that documentation is important for our understanding of the system and some documentation is required to understand how and why a system was built). As Jonathan recently asked in his blog does paperwork really add any value? [...]

]]> By: jamesl http://practicalanalyst.com/2008/09/10/does-your-paperwork-add-value/comment-page-1/#comment-854 jamesl Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:18:55 +0000 http://jonathanbabcock.com/?p=267#comment-854 I agree too. Where documentation is required I think we need to ask ourselves how much of the document is enough to get the point across. Very often I see people getting bogged down trying to fill out each section of a templated document, wondering what goes into a section. Just forget that section and move on is my usual response, since there should be a feedback loop in place which will identify if that section was truly required or not. I used to see people immediately jump in to a charting tool like Visio to document a flow or process, but now I see them more and more draw on a whiteboard and then paste the image, which is much quicker. I'm a big fan of the whiteboard and camera approach. I agree too.

Where documentation is required I think we need to ask ourselves how much of the document is enough to get the point across. Very often I see people getting bogged down trying to fill out each section of a templated document, wondering what goes into a section. Just forget that section and move on is my usual response, since there should be a feedback loop in place which will identify if that section was truly required or not.

I used to see people immediately jump in to a charting tool like Visio to document a flow or process, but now I see them more and more draw on a whiteboard and then paste the image, which is much quicker. I’m a big fan of the whiteboard and camera approach.

]]> By: Kupe http://practicalanalyst.com/2008/09/10/does-your-paperwork-add-value/comment-page-1/#comment-851 Kupe Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:48:11 +0000 http://jonathanbabcock.com/?p=267#comment-851 I am in complete agreement. All activities you are doing for a project should add value. Don't document for document sake. If it adds value do it. This concept should hold true regardless of development methodology. I am in complete agreement. All activities you are doing for a project should add value. Don’t document for document sake. If it adds value do it. This concept should hold true regardless of development methodology.

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