Documentation Updates

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Jan 06, 2011 by Michael VorburgerVersion comment
6 min read

Table of Contents

Several pages of documentation on mifos.org are outdated, reflecting specs for version 1.0 but not explicitly flagged as such. In addition, several newly added features either need documentation pages, or existing pages need to be added to the functional specifications table of contents.

My research method

  1. Scanned all pages listed on the Functional Specs page Looked for content that is obviously out of date. these are listed in the next two sections.
  2. Scanned all pages at DevelopmentProjectPages. For each project, scanned the gt;`_ and the `developer listserv for recent activity and clues that the feature is either included in release 1.1 or identified as deferred. See `New or modified Features that may need documenting` for findings.

Functional Specs pages

Outdated Content

  • Configuration Options
    Some sections of this page are badly out of date – not reflecting recent changes in rounding rules, internationalization, and possibly other areas.

    The page links to an Excel spreadsheet archived at mifos.java.net that describes configuration inputs. This spreadsheet has not been updated for over 10 months. It should be checked for accuracy.

    Update: On 7/16/2008 added notice regarding status of content.
  • Internationalization i18n of Mifos
    This page may not reflect the final feature set implemented for V1.1. It was last updated on January 29th, and is written as though I18N is a work in progress. The page needs to be rewritten to reflect what is actually implemented in V1.1. For example
      • Has the concept of "user locale" been implemented?
      • Which open issues have been resolved, and which remain?
      • Update the list of features identified as out of scope for V1.1
    Update: On 7/16/2008 added notice regarding status of content.
  • Reports Functionality in 1 0
    VERY badly outdated, as it refers to Jaspersoft-based reports, which have been replaced by BIRT reporting mechanisms. The page should probably just be removed from the Functional Specifications table of contents and replaced with BIRT documentation.

    Update: On 7/16/2008 added notice regarding status of content.

  • Reversing Loan Disbursals
    The page lists open issues but the page has not been updated since July 2007. Verify that they are still open

    Update: On 7/16/2008 added notice regarding status of content.

  • Meeting Requirements

This page describes features to be implemented in version 1.1. Verify which ones are actually implemented, and document accordingly.

Update: On 7/16/2008 added notice regarding status of content.

Outdated lists of "Out of Scope" features

These pages include a section at the end titled "Out of Scope for Version 1.0", or sometimes just "Out of Scope", and containing a list of one or more features. This section should be retitled "Out of Scope for Version 1.1", and the list should be reviewed to be sure that each feature is still planned for a future version but has not yet been implemented.

  • Roles amp Permissions
  • `Clients </knowledge/functional-specs/clients#Out_of_Scope_for_Version_1_0>`_
  • `Groups </knowledge/functional-specs/groups#Out_of_Scope_for_Version_1_0>`_
  • `Centers </knowledge/functional-specs/centers#Out_of_Scope_for_Version_1_0>`_
  • `Collection Sheet </knowledge/functional-specs/collection-sheet#Out_of_Scope>`_
  • Loans
  • `Savings </knowledge/functional-specs/savings#Out_of_Scope_for_Version_1_0>`_
  • `Bulk Entry </knowledge/functional-specs/knowledge/functional-specs/bulk-entry/#Out_of_scope>`_
  • `Meeting Requirements </knowledge/functional-specs/meeting-requirements#Out_of_Scope_for_Version_1_0>`_
  • `Checklists </knowledge/functional-specs/checklists#Out_of_Scope_for_Version_1_0>`_
  • `Configuration Options </knowledge/functional-specs/configuration-options#Not_Yet_Implemented>`_
  • Log Files
  • Search and browsing
  • Accounting in mifos – Currency and Rounding Rules
  • Bulk Loan Creation

Development Projects

Several projects listed at the DevelopmentProjectPages have seen intense activity recently, and may now be included in release 1.1, but several lack functional specs pages. The projects should be reviewed and their status in 1.1 documented. In some cases (see links below), developer wiki pages include functional specs of varying completeness, and could be linked to directly from the Functional Specs TOC. Or at least serve as a starting point for formal documentation of their function.

Most of these pages have not been updated for months or, in some cases, years. Yet some features have been updated and others have been deferred to v2.0. I strongly suggest that developers add to their workflow the requirement to updated these project pages when they have been involved in either implementing them or in decisions to defer them.

Cash Taken To Field

See this development project page

No activity. Assume deferred/out of scope?

Configuration Collection Sheet Generation

See this development project page

This BIRT report is now installed – see ReportsImprovements below.

Data Migration Tools

See this development project page

No activity. Assume deferred/out of scope?

Holiday Handling

See this development project page for an initial set of specifications.

Development has been active – see the issues that have been submitted and resolved, leading to new functionality. Functional specs should be updated accordingly.

Improve Mifos Configuration Process

See this development project page

Active development. Ensure that setup and configuration documentation is up to date.

Loan Defaults

See this development project page I do not know the status of this feature.

Mandatory Savings

See this development project page

No activity. Identify as out of scope?

Mifos Localization

See this development project page

Ensure that deployment procedures include up-to-date instructions on configuring application settings.

Moratorium Requirements

See this development project page

Deferred to vNext per issue `1618 <https://mifos.dev.java.net/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=1618>`_. Should be marked as out of scope for release 1.1.

UPDATE: marked as out of scope on 7/16/2008.

Multicurrency

See this development project page

Discussions on the developer listserve suggest that this feature is deferred.

Offsetting

See this development project page

According to issue `1664 <https://mifos.dev.java.net/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=1664>`_, this feature has been deferred to vNext.

Progress Out of Poverty

See this development project page

No functional specs exist. The development page has a pretty complete description, but may need updating in light of recent development efforts. Espcecially lacking is

  • a description of how to format poverty scorecards into XML so that they can be imported into MifOS. I can help with that (Keith).

h>. Redoing Loan Disbursals

See this development project page

Reports Improvements

See this development project page

Securitization Module

See gt;`_. Listed on the `Roadmap as deferred to V2.0.

Shares Module

See gt;`_. Listed on the `Roadmap as deferred to V2.0.

Structured Data Fields

See gt;`_ . Listed on the `Roadmap as uhscheduled.

Surveys

See this development project page THis feature is pretty completely implemented and needs to be included in V1.1 functional specs.

ENDA Features

See here

Most of the web pages that describe These ENDA features have not been updated since 2007. Have any of them been added to V1.1? If so, descriptions of their features should be added to the Functional Specs table-of-contents. If not, they should be documented as either ENDA-specific, or out of scope for general 1.1 release, or features not planned for general implementation. Here are specific examples:

Adding Existing Client Group

See gt;`_. Identified in the `Product roadmap as added to V1.1 Needs to be part of 1.1 functional specs.

Applying Multiple Adjustments

See here `This post <http://groups.google.com/group/mifosdeveloper/search?group=mifosdeveloper&q=multiple+adjustments&qt_g=Search+this+group>`_ seems to indicate that the feature has been added. If so, add to functional specs.

Electronic Publishing

See here Status unknown. Does not appear on the product roadmap.

Limiting Product Combination

See gt;`_. The page has not been updated for a year. Searching developer listserv, I found only `one reference to a failed attempt at a patch. The feature is not listed anywhere on the Product roadmap.

Repayment Schedule Attributes

This page does not exist in Mifos.org. Can't find any information on this feature.

Group loan with individual monitoring

See here

This feature was added in March, 2008. This developers wiki page describes the functional specification for the feature.

TODO: Add a link to the wiki page from the functional specs table of contents.

Removing Group Membership

See gt;`_. Identified in the `Product roadmap as added to V1.1 Needs to be part of 1.1 functional specs.

Documented at gt;`_. The fact that there is a `test plan for this feature implies that it has been implemented.

TODO: Add link to above wiki page from functional specs, and update client and/or group functional specs pages.

Loan Independent Of Meeting

See here

This wiki page documents the specs for this feature, but I am not sure of its status for release 1.1. Discussion on the developer listserv seems to imply that the feature may not be working correctly and that it will be disabled for release 1.1. If so, then that should be documented.

TODO:

  • Add link to this page from Function Specs table of contents.
  • verify whether the feature will be enabled for release 1.1
  • document the feature's status for release 1.1.

Declining Balance Interest Calculation with Equal Principal Installment

See here This feature has been implemented in V1.1, and should be documented in functional specs.See `these issues <http://tinyurl.com/5wto62> for more information.

Update: On 7/16/2008 added notice regarding status of content.

Insurance Product

See here Does not appear on product roadmap.

Removing Meeting Requirements

See gt;`_. Listed on the `Roadmap as unscheduled.

Mifos Mobile

See here This is a feature in its infancy, and has not yet hit the product roadmap.

Report Specifications

See here

Version-1 constraints

These pages include references to features that are restricted in version 1. This should be reviewed and updated to reflect any constraints remaining in version 1.1.

Other TODOs

  • Create a single entry point for user documentation, with a master TOC.

=Done: