Agile Documentation

Scott Ambler distinguishes three types of documentation:

1. keepers;
   • documents that always need to be up-to-date (should appear in ready to ship;
2. update when it hurts:
   • documents are only updated when the burden of outdatedness outweigh and justify the effort of getting it up-to-date; e.g. architecture documents can linger for a while
3. never
   • documents that you never update (consider removing them altogether)

Toss every document that you plan to make in one of these bins. Then reconsider creating them at all.

Documentation principle: Do not create documentation unless:

1. legally required;
2. of key value to any of the stakeholders (be explicit about the stakeholder(s) and the document's value).

See:

• http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/agileDocumentation.htm
• A Pattern Guide to Producing Lightweight Documents for Software Projects by Andreas Ruping.