Ask Two Questions, Maybe Three

When you create a document, you need to ask two, maybe three questions. But at least, you need to ask two. So what these questions? They are:

- What is this thing I'm writing about?

- Who is the audience I'm writing for?

- What kind of document am I writing?

Why does it seem I waffle between two or three initial questions? Well, you may not need to ask the third question because it may come up naturally in your conversations with the SME(s).  Only ask the last question if you need to. Otherwise, the SME(s) may lose confidence in your ability as a technical writer.

But the first two questions, you should definitely ask when creating documents, especially if you're in a new setting. So why these two questions? Well, these two questions will help set the direction of your documentation. 

If you know what you're writing about and who you're writing for, it'll help you know what kind information to write in your document. Let's say you're writing a user guide on how to use a software for storing recipes and your audience are home cooks and chefs, you're not going explain the technical inner workings of the application. You're just going to show them step-by-step how to enter and save their recipes. That's it. 

When we approach documentation, we should take Mark Twain's advice when writing good stories. He said:

"A successful book is not made of what is in it, but what is left out of it."

So, let's focus on what to write and chisel out the rest. Our audience deserves it.

Kanban..Ban...Kan..Ban..Kan...Kanban

Kanban is not another way of doing the Can-Can. But doing the Kanban will get you moving.

Kanban is a method, which originated in Japan with Toyota after World War 2, of moving projects along. (But the term "Kanban", which means signboard, has existed since Edo Japan.) With a Kanban board, you can easily see a project's status. It also helps control the workflow and priorities, so you don't get overloaded. 

I've used a Kanban system before when creating documents for software releases. I felt it helped me know the progress of a release. So, I'd know whether I need to create a document or just wait until the development team moved on a project.

Kanban and Agile

Kanban boards complement an Agile environment. I've used a Kanban board in an Agile environment and I felt it made goals easy to accomplish in a software sprint. I also felt it augmented the experience where I can picture what needs to happen in a sprint.

To check out how Kanban boards could work within an Agile environment, look at what Guru99 says in Kanban vs. Agile. 

Electronic Kanban Boards

You could create a Kanban by just pinning to notes or cards to a bulletin board and moving them along on it. But many use electronic Kanban boards. Electronic boards help especially as companies and teams continue to go more remote. 

To get an idea how these electronic boards work, here are a couple of Kanban tools below.

Trello

My foray into Kanban systems was Trello. What I liked about Trello is you can easily create a card and drag it to the next step of the flow. I also liked you can easily add stuff to the card as things come up, even the card was created by someone else. Finally, there's Taco, Trello's husky pup. Cute little guy! I always liked whenever he'd show up during my time using Trello.

To check out Trello, here's a tour. 

Asana

Asana is another Kanban tool out there. I have never used Asana. But if I did, I wouldn't have any trouble with it. If I end up using Asana someday, I would feel at home because my time with Trello. 

If you want to see how Asana Kanban boards work, check this out.

Trello vs Asana

Not sure which one to go with? The Write Life compares the two.

Before You Decide on a Kanban Tool

Trello and Asana are just two of Kanban tools out there. Here's a list of other ones there. 

Before you decide which tool to use, first get a good understanding of a Kanban board. Once you do so, you can then pick the one the best suits your needs. For primers on Kanban boards, check out these out:

- Kanban Tool

- Modern Kanban

- Planview

- Econoshift

So if you do the Kanban, Kanban, Kanban, Kanban, Kanban, Kanban, Kanban, then your documents will move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move.