Learn to Start Without a Specification

Because a Scrum team shifts its focus from writing requirements to talking about them and then progressively refines those requirements over the course of the project, the team is left without the comfort of starting with a traditional specification document. Many groups—quality assurance and technical writing foremost among them—will find this very disconcerting. Part of transitioning to Scrum and achieving long-term success with it will be learning how to comfortably get started on a project without a “complete” specification document.

First, I should be clear that the goal is not to throw out what may be a useful document. What we want instead is to use a specification document appropriately. Apart from meeting regulatory or compliance needs, the primary appropriate use of a specification document is to convey information that is best done in writing. Complex or detailed calculations such as might be found in scientific and mathematical applications are good examples, but there can be many others.