In Agile projects, documentation might seem counterintuitive—after all, Agile values "working software over comprehensive documentation." However, documentation plays an essential role in aligning teams, maintaining project clarity, and supporting future development.

Why do we document in Agile? While Agile emphasizes adaptability and collaboration, minimal but essential documentation ensures that everyone—from developers to stakeholders—shares a common understanding of goals, progress, and requirements. It also helps bridge gaps during team transitions or when new members join mid-project.

How should documentation be approached in Agile? Agile documentation is concise, focused, and created "just-in-time" to avoid overwhelming details that may become outdated. This typically includes user stories, acceptance criteria, and sprint retrospectives. These short, targeted documents keep the team aligned without stalling progress.

Is it necessary? Absolutely. Documentation supports quality, continuity, and compliance while reducing the risks associated with knowledge gaps.

The bottom line: Documentation in Agile is valuable when done thoughtfully. Aim for the "just enough" approach—provide clear, actionable information that supports the team without excessive formality. This way, Agile projects remain adaptable but also grounded, ensuring success both in the present and in future iterations.

Joseph Phillips

PMP, PMI-ACP, ITIL, PSM, Project+, CTT+

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PM TIP: In Agile, keep documentation lean and purposeful. Focus on capturing essential details like user stories, acceptance criteria, and retrospectives—this will help align the team without creating unnecessary overhead. Always aim for "just enough" documentation to support clarity, continuity, and progress.

TRIVIA TIME

The correct answer to last week’s trivia question: Mitigation

The term for a risk response strategy that involves reducing the probability or impact of a threat to a project is mitigation. Mitigation strategies aim to lessen the potential negative effects of a risk, either by reducing its likelihood of occurring or by minimizing its impact if it does occur. For example, implementing extra quality checks to reduce the chance of defects is a form of risk mitigation.