What are the most innovative ways to create project documentation that meets stakeholder needs?

1 Agile documentation

Agile documentation is a way of creating project documentation that is minimal, sufficient, and adaptable. It values working software over comprehensive documentation, and focuses on delivering the most relevant and useful information to the project team and stakeholders. Agile documentation is not a one-time activity, but an ongoing process that evolves with the project. The benefits of agile documentation include reducing waste and saving time, improving communication and feedback, enhancing collaboration and learning, and supporting change and innovation. To create agile documentation, tools such as user stories, wireframes, and wikis can be used. User stories are short descriptions of what a user wants and why, written from the user's perspective. Wireframes are low-fidelity sketches or diagrams that show the layout and structure of a web page or app. Wikis are web-based platforms that store and organize project information such as requirements, specifications, plans, reports, and lessons learned. These tools are quick to create, modify, and iterate; they also support version control, search, linking features, and more.

2 Visual documentation

Visual documentation is a way of creating project documentation that uses images, graphics, and colors to convey information. It follows the principle of show, don't tell, and leverages the power of visual thinking and learning to simplify complex or abstract concepts, highlight key points and relationships, engage and motivate your audience, and increase retention and recall. Some tools and techniques that can help you create visual documentation include mind maps, infographics, and video. Mind maps are visual representations of ideas and information that use branches, nodes, and keywords to brainstorm, organize, and present information. Infographics are visual summaries of data and information that use charts, graphs, icons, and text to communicate, educate, and persuade your audience. Video is a visual medium that uses moving images, sound, and narration to demonstrate, explain, and instruct your audience. Each of these tools can help you generate insights into a project's goals, scope, risks, issues, results, achievements, impacts, and more.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?