ADFS Deployment Guide - Sneak Peek #1 (Checklists)

I'm going to provide occasional sneak peeks at ADFS documentation under development so that you have an opportunity to provide feedback about it. This week’s sneak peek comes from the upcoming ADFS Deployment Guide, which will use checklists to more quickly help route the reader to the correct task that they need to accomplish for a given scenario.

I believe that the checklist format used in this document will be crucial for directing the reader to the most appropriate content at the time they need it. As you know, ADFS is a complex technology involving three primary design scenarios, each of which involve many tasks and sub tasks (with a fair share of overlapping procedures across all of the scenarios). Because of this, the checklist becomes the focal point for the administrator, directing them to click on each of the links (to tasks) in chronological order.

In this way, the administrator can choose to read the entire set of conceptual and procedural topics as one story. Take a look at the graphic below, which will be included in the deployment guide to help introduce the checklist concept. If possible, take a minute to let me know your thoughts.

Comments

• Anonymous
  July 05, 2006
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  July 05, 2006
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  July 06, 2006
  The additional explanation is great, Nick, and adds a lot to viewing the illustration. But I didn't ask my question clearly -- there are three blue boxes at the 2nd level: Web SSO, Federated Web SSO, and Federated Web SSO with Forest Trust. I can see Web SSO's relationship to the next level (but not why it's needed) and can't see a purpose for the other two boxes?
• Anonymous
  July 06, 2006
  There will be text before the diagram to provide context for the other two boxes. Basically the context statement goes something like this, you have 3 designs - here's an example of how checklists work when you pick the Web SSO design.
  
  This diagram does more than just show an example of how checklists work for a given design it will also introduce the conceptual discussion about how the design guide and the deployment guide are to be used together to create the full deployment story, which is why the other two boxes (Federated Web SSO and Federated Web SSO with Forest Trust) are present. 
  
  As I'm writing this response, I can sure understand why you are asking these questions. :)
  
  I guess it never occurred to me that I should have provided more context in my original post. I sure appreciate the feedback you've provided so far.