Question

Some people want every word discussing a case recorded.

Ex: A case is opened and assigned to the developer. He fixes the case, and marks it resolved. In the comments, he explains what he did, but states that he preferred the way it was before the change. He thought it was fine "as is". However he did make the change. It then goes to the tester. She talks to the project manager. Instead of closing the case, the tester reactivated the case, assigns it to the developer with a priority of must fix. And asks: "What to do want to do? Why do you think the old way is better?"

FB should NOT be used for conversions. Am I correct? This case should have been closed, and an email conversion, or face to face conversion started. If something else needed to be done, then a new case could be opened.

What do you says to a manage that says, "Well, we want to be able see why we we did something."

All of this was over whether or not a paragraph needed a heading.

Answer 1

If something's too complicated to write down, or writing it down would be inefficient (as in justifying a 5 minute change with a 5 paragraph essay), we talk in person, then update the case with something like:

Babak and I discussed this at length and decided to drop the apostrophe. If you're interested in how we came to that conclusion, ask us at lunch. (It has to do with the Chicago Manual of Style.)

This is enough to record the work that was done, the decision that was reached, and enough specific information to jog our memory if someone wants us to rehash the discussion three months later.

Answer 2

Myself, I prefer to use Fogbugz for conversations. This way every artifact related to a case is present. If your developer quits, gets fired or run over by a yellow bus, it's easier for a new resource to ramp up on the case, especially if a lot of time has passed.

Answer 3

I like to see all relevant comments in the Case (maybe I can't find Rich or Babak at lunch, or they're not at the company anymore). Sometimes conversations start in emails or IM's - when I realize an IM thread is becoming relevant to a case (i.e. substantial rather than hand-waving) I make sure it can be saved. Then I attach it as a file to the case, or better (esp if it's not just supplemental info), copy-paste it into a comment.

It sounds like your team members really want a voice in how the product evolves. That's good, but when it results in Cases bouncing too much and people making decisions that are not theirs to make, it's a product management nightmare. Maybe you could set up an "idea repository" in a separate FogBugz Project, Discussion Group or Wiki to hold ideas for improvements and future development. Schedule regular reviews of the content, so your team knows you take it seriously. Then, they would be less inclined to put wish list opinions in active Cases and more willing to share their ideas in the idea repository.