Functional Specifications Facilitators Guide

Owned by Kathleen Gerdink (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Aug 28, 2012 by Nora Roggeveen-Sams (Unlicensed)Version comment

The following facilitators guide was created via a spec checklist discussion by the Functional Council at its meeting in February 2011, to offer guidance to Spec team leads. The development approach and relationship/responsibilities for Spec Teams and SME Teams changed slightly in January 2012, but below still provides a decent map for Spec Team Leads to start up and organize spec team efforts.

Please feel free to add comments to the bottom of this page if any questions or suggestions for improvement.

The Facilitators Guide is to act as a self-guided training and guidance document for leading and organizing the efforts of OLE specification teams, and specifies some of the roles and responsibilities of the OLE Functional Council, the Project Team, SME Teams, and the individual spec teams. F-spec Tools & Tips FAQ are also being added to further help library Subject Matter Experts (SME's) in the completion of specification documents.

Starting up an Fspec Team (ie, "User Requirements")

  1. Start up a Team: Process SME Team
  2. Facilitator: How to start up a team
  3. Team Administration: Tools for managing specification team or other OLE team
  4. Google Docs Team folder
  5. Creation of Spec Team Roadmap
Jump to F-spec Tools & Tips: FAQ
  1. Start up a team: SME Team
    1. Identify team members from partner staff, draft solicitation
      1. The , for each functional area, provides:

        1. Scoped time frame
        2. Skills required from SMEs
        3. Testing team requirement
      2. See SME Teams- Roles in Spec Writing
      3. See also Spec Team KIS pages
    2. Charge to team contains
      1. Vision for functional area
      2. Context of that functional area within OLE
      3. Suggestion of ‘straight line path’ if one exists
    3. Makeup of spec writing team
      1. SMEs (Updated Fall 2011: 3-5= Lead, test lead, data modeling lead, 1-3 additional SMEs)
      2. Facilitator - a veteran SME to act as Spec Team lead
      3. SA - System Analyst from SME Team to oversee
    4. User Stories
      1. Groomed by SME Team
      2. Grouped by functional area
      3. Library/workflow labels applied prior to team start
    5. Goals from FC
      1. Improve efficiency of specification writing efforts
      2. Balance concerns for overuse of particular staff
      3. Mentoring opportunities within partner staff
      4. Decouple spec writing from development sprints
  2. How to start up and lead a team: Facilitator
    1. Specification FAQ
    2. Agile Development Methodology
    3. Facilitating the spec team
      1. Facilitating conference calls, any F2F meetings, and discussions
      2. Scheduling meetings and assignments in timely manner to achieve spec deadlines
      3. Encourage collaboration and organize discussions if off-track
      4. Support independent, autonomous spec-writing when warranted
      5. Help team to determine alternative, self-organized approaches to completing tasks at hand
    4. Best Practices:
      1. Process should be viewed as independent & autonomous but should articulate dependencies
      2. Concept of the “straight line”
      3. 80/20 rule: 20% of the resources create 80% of the effects
      4. Note data requirements & sources / inputs & outputs
      5. Facilitator should orient team to the process
      6. Facilitator is responsible to report back to the SME Team with status updates
  3. Team Administration: Tools for managing specification team or other OLE team
    1. KIS access for New Users & Team Pages
    2. New users added to file permissions for OLE Docs
    3. Access to OLE Scheduling Calendar for key milestones, and conference call lines
    4. Use Webex, Adobe Connect, Skype or other conferencing tools - See Meeting, Conference Resources
    5. Setup KIS Team Pages
      1. Calendar
      2. Email distribution list
      3. All team members contact information
      4. Hotlink to


    1. Pre-seeded specification word docs for each spec to be completed (when possible)
    2. Data modeling resources only for this set of related specs
    3. Pre-existing workflow models related to this set of specs
    4. Creation of draft/beginning Service Contract for related OLE Functions (overview) including list to populate for business rules, user roles, sample data
    5. Backlog/excel file of related user stories in workflow order with library labels
    6. Links to previously completed and related specification documents (prior teams)-examples
  5. Creation of Spec Team Roadmap (as part of planning documents)
    1. FAQ on Wiki, PPT to train/kickoff
    2. Improvements to spec document template
    3. See Google Docs

    4. See Google Docs help and tips
    5. Create self-paced training guide to specifications and orientation to OLE overall (this document)
    6. Include team/approach options from

    7. Share link to overall specs, sprints, project schedule to convey understanding and urgency (in development)
    8. Schedules for specs, includes: deadlines; start-up/kickoff to educate team; Feedback Loop calls with core; hand-off call to Product Owner
    9. Facilitators Guide (this document)

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