There will be documentation
Software documentation — is the collection of all written materials that accompany software during its development, testing, operation, and maintenance. Documentation includes requirements, technical specifications, user guides, installation and operating instructions, and other documents necessary for understanding and working with the software.
Software documentation includes information created to support the development and operation of a system or software, including descriptions of functions, data, architecture, and software requirements.
Types of documentation
Software documentation includes several key types, which can be divided into technical and non-technical categories:
Technical documentation:
Requirements Documentation:
A description of the functional and non-functional requirements for software. Includes specifications, business requirements, user stories, and other artifacts that describe what needs to be implemented.
Architectural Documentation:
A description of the overall structure of the software, including architectural diagrams, system designs, descriptions of modules and their interactions.
Design Documentation:
Detailed descriptions of the internal design and algorithms used in software, including class diagrams, ER diagrams, algorithm descriptions, and other technical drawings.
Code Documentation:
Inline comments, auto-documentation, and additional files that explain how the code works. This includes coding style guides and API descriptions.
Test Documentation:
Includes test plans, test cases, test reports and automated tests that ensure the functionality of the software is verified.
User Documentation:
Instructions and reference materials intended for end users of the software, including user guides, help, FAQs, and training materials.
Non-technical documentation:
Organizational Documentation:
Descriptions of organizational processes, procedures, and policies, such as development standards, project management processes, and quality control procedures.
Methodological Documentation:
Description of development methodologies and approaches used in the project, such as Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and others. Includes guidance on how to use these methodologies within a specific organization or project.
Project Documentation:
Includes project plans, work schedules, progress reports, and other documents related to project management and control.
Legal Documentation:
License agreements, service level agreements (SLAs), contracts and other legal documents related to the software and its use.
These types of documentation help ensure completeness and accuracy of information throughout all stages of the software life cycle, from development to operation and support.
What documentation should there be?
Software documentation must meet the following basic criteria:
Relevance:
Documentation should be updated to reflect the latest changes in the software. This includes updating after each development iteration or code change.
Accuracy:
The documentation must accurately reflect the functionality, architecture, interfaces, and requirements of the software at the appropriate level of abstraction. Any descriptions must correspond to the actual implementation of the software.
Clarity:
Completeness:
The documentation should cover all aspects of the software, including functional requirements, architectural decisions, installation and operating instructions, as well as possible errors and how to fix them.
Availability:
Documentation should be easily accessible to all stakeholders, including developers, testers, users, and technical support. This includes ease of searching and navigating through documents.
Standardization:
Documentation must comply with established standards and norms, such as ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or internal company standards. This ensures the uniformity and compatibility of documents.
Supportability:
Documentation should be easy to maintain and update throughout the software life cycle. The structure and format of the documentation should facilitate easy changes.
These criteria help ensure that the documentation is useful and effective throughout all stages of the software life cycle, from development to support and operation.
In this section, all those who did not understand what documentation is and why it is needed, I hope, the question is closed. Let's move on to the question “Who maintains it?”
Who maintains the documentation?
The simplest and shortest answer to this question would be: “Everything.”
The other extreme will lead us to a staff of special positions, such as, System Analyst, Business Analyst, Technical Writer, Legacy Specialist, CTO/CIO and others. But, this does not mean the need to rush to open new positions in the HR department, of course. All these special positions can be distributed as roles on the staffing table, if these people have sufficient competence and resources. Ultimately, the decision is up to the manager and the quality of the competencies of the employees who are assigned this task.
Now that we have figured out who is responsible for documentation, let's look at how to organize this process effectively.
Recommendations for effective work with documentation
Organizing effective work with documentation is a key aspect of successful project and software lifecycle management. Effective documentation management helps improve communication within the team, increase the quality of products, and reduce the risks associated with errors and misunderstandings. Here are several principles and recommendations for organizing work with documentation, each of which an expert in working with documentation can cover at least in a separate article:
1. Centralized storage and management of documents
It is recommended to use a centralized repository for all documentation to ensure easy access and usability. This could be a document management system (DMS), a cloud-based repository (e.g. Confluence, SharePoint) or specialized tools for managing project documentation.
Advantages: All team members have access to up-to-date information, reducing the risk of using outdated data and improving coordination.
2. Versioning and change control
Use tools to track document versions (such as Git, a version control system for documentation), which allows you to maintain a history of changes and quickly revert to previous versions when needed.
Advantages: Provides transparency of changes and the ability to track the evolution of documentation. This is especially important for technical documentation, which may change frequently as software is developed.
3. Standardization and templates
Implement standards and templates for all types of documentation (e.g. requirements, test cases, progress reports). This helps maintain consistency, makes it easier to understand, and reduces the likelihood of errors.
Advantages: Simplify the creation of new documentation and ensure that all documents within a project comply with established standards.
4. Regular updating and updating
Ensure that documentation is updated regularly, especially when the project or product changes. This can be part of sprints in Agile, where documentation is reviewed and updated after each iteration.
Advantages: Reduce the risk of using outdated information, maintaining data relevance for all project participants.
5. Availability and clarity of documentation
Try to make the documentation understandable and accessible to all team members, regardless of their technical expertise. This includes using simple language, visual materials (diagrams, charts), and dividing the documentation by levels of complexity.
Advantages: Improved communication and understanding between different team members, reducing the risk of errors due to misunderstanding of documentation.
6. Feedback and adjustments
Include a process for collecting feedback from users of the documentation. This could be part of an Agile retrospective or regular team meetings where you discuss what is working well and what needs improvement.
Advantages: Continuous improvement of the quality of documentation and its compliance with the real needs of users.
7. Training and support
Provide training to the team on how to effectively use and create documentation. This may include workshops, seminars, or internal courses on how to use documentation standards and tools.
Advantages: Improving the team's qualifications, reducing the time required to create and use documentation, improving the quality of final documents.
8. Automation of work with documentation
Use tools to automatically generate documentation from code or to integrate documentation with CI/CD processes.
Advantages: Reduction of manual labor, increase in the accuracy and relevance of technical documentation.
These principles help organize the process of working with documentation in such a way that it does not become a burden for the team, but rather serves as a powerful tool for improving communication, quality and speed of software development.
Conclusion
Documentation in IT is not just a mandatory formality, but an important tool that helps the team maintain focus, quality and speed of development. It serves as a link between all participants in the process, ensuring understanding and consistency at all stages of the project. Successful work with documentation requires not only its creation, but also constant maintenance of its relevance and availability. Organizing effective work with documentation is not a one-time task, but a continuous process that requires attention and discipline.
Maintaining high-quality documentation is the key to successful project management and ensuring its quality execution. Let documentation become your reliable assistant, not a burden. By applying the principles and approaches given, you will be able to organize work with documentation so that it brings real benefits to the entire team and the project as a whole.
