A Question for Developers: What Kind of Documentation Do *You* Want?

Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
Developers, I need your help.

I've started eliciting requirements for an enterprise project. Here's an overview:

  • We're setting up a multi-tenant virtualized environment to host case management systems for a number of clients. 
  • The processes are governed by legislation, so our goal is to establish a common reference architecture and configuration that all of the clients will use as a baseline, which enables them to be compliant. 
  • Once they're operational, any requested enhancements will be evaluated with the legislation in mind, to see if they should be deployed as upgrades to the reference architecture and therefore made available to all of the clients.
This project entails a full-scale service redesign, as we're also building a front end to intake the requests which become cases in the system. So, it entails:

  • Service design
  • Interaction design for both internal (case managers) and external users (requesters)
  • Configuration of a COTS system
Now, here's where I need help.

I can document all of that in a massive requirements document, but we want to use agile development so there's no appetite for it and no time. We want to be in a position to start sand-boxing in a few months.

We'll have detailed process flows and a requirements database and a metadata specification. But I know you don't want to read all that. 

So, let's say you're my lead developer. What kind of documents would *you* want for this kind of project? 
  • How would you want to see all of the data points that need to be manually and automatically captured during each client interaction, both internal and external?
  • How would you want to receive the tons of business rules that govern the workflows? (remember this is legislation based so those are crucial)
  • Some of the workflows are insanely long. What's the best way to capture that so you can configure them with all their if/then/else messiness?
What do you wish someone would give you on your config projects? Can you share any awesome examples? Please leave me a comment below or Tweet me @spydergrrl and let me know! (Alternatively, let me know if you might be interested in chatting. I'm looking for a few senior agile devs to interview to contribute to my requirements plan.)
 
And, thanks!!
-spydey