Dones - Do you include useful details in your 'Done' email?
An email with just the word "done" can often be enhanced with a screen capture or code snippet.
In any reply, include relevant information, such as URLs, screenshots, and pieces of code/text that have been updated. This allows others to check what was done straight away.
Benefits
This has several benefits:
- Improved visibility and transparency - The client can see the work actually being done
- Reduced cost of fixing a bug - the cost of a bug goes up based of the length of time taken for the client to ask for a change. If you tell a developer to change something he did today, it is many times cheaper for him to fix, than if he got the same request 2 months later (when he has forgotten was it was about)
- The client can raise questions based on what he sees in the code
- Finally, in the very unlikely case that the code repository and backup goes corrupt, your emails are a backup!
Examples
| To: | Jason |
| Subject: | RE: Northwind - Include one more field to the form |
Figure: Bad Example - "Done" email lacks details
| To: | Jason |
| Subject: | RE: Northwind - Include one more field to the form |
Figure: Good Example - "Done" email has a link, a screenshot, and code changes
Tips
- Read Screenshots - Do you use balloons instead of a 'Wall of Text'?.
- On browser screenshots, make sure you include the top-left area - so you can see the URL and what browser it is. E.g. Chrome or Edge.
- If you are using Azure DevOps or GitHub, you should also include a URL to the work item.
- Include a .diff file for greater code/text changes.
