Roadmap: How to Adopt the Documentation and Training Practice |  |
This roadmap describes how to adopt the Documentation and Training practice.
Main Description
### Getting started The goal of the Documentation and Training practice is to ensure that end users of a product receive quality information about the product (in comprehensive documentation) and have been adequately trained regarding how to use the product. ### Common pitfalls Inadequate documentation: No one likes to rigorously document a product, least of all the team members who developed it. Historically, product documentation often has been an afterthought, if given thought at all. In the Agile world, because the goal is to deliver high quality, working software to end users more quickly, realize that part of the quality component is adequate documentation that enables end users to use the product more effectively. Non-existent or inadequate training: Like documentation, training often is an afterthought. When product budgets are reduced, training often is the first line item to be eliminated. However, in fairness to the end user community, proper training about how to use the product is critical to the overall success of product deployment in terms of enabling end users do their jobs effectively. ### Considerations The following is a list of points to consider when adopting this practice: Training depends on documentation: The better the documentation, the easier it is to develop training materials. If your team skimps on the quality and quantity of product documentation, the cost of training materials development will significantly increase. Documentation can be developed in many ways: The more varied the documentation media (e.g., Help files, Wizards, PowerPoint presentations, video vignettes, etc.), the easier it will be to use those forms of documentation and convert them into robust training modules. Also, multiple forms of documentation will appeal to a broader audience because people internalize information differently: what works for one person might not resonate with another. Training can be delivered in many ways: Like documentation, training delivery media should be varied to appeal to different audiences. Not only can training be delivered by a live instructor in a classroom, other options include: Computer-based training where users complete modules on their own time On-line instructor-led modules delivered over the Internet at scheduled times Just-in-time training modules (either live or on-line instructor-led) for incremental learning
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