You have recently joined a company, and since then, you have been contributing to the code base of a project. Since you are all new to this code, you need some time to understand various things such as the logic of the code, why different functions are utilized, and how the various code files contained in the code are being used. To comprehend these things, you will most likely require the assistance of a member of the team who can define all these things. But, what is no such person is available. Then?
The documentation that an organization maintains may be the single most significant thing it owns. A new employee is directed by the internal documentation on how to obtain all the information they require and how to configure all the tools.
There are several types of documentation that an organization can have. Documentations that are kept by an organization for the purpose of informing the decisions made within that organization are referred to as internal documentation. Next, project documentation is used to further document pretty much anything that is going on within the company as well as the functioning of the organization.
Having an internal portal that has this type of documentation also creates a great developer experience as developers can easily access each and every resource that is needed and can get into work without having to look for help anywhere else.
How Documentation Should Be Prepared
Since documentation offers employees of the organization a great deal of knowledge, the utmost caution should be exercised while preparing it to avoid any mistakes. If the documentation is about an announcement that comes after a change, then it needs to include all of the details of the change, including what should and shouldn’t be done, and an appropriate screenshot if required.
There are instances in which announcements are meant solely for the people working within the company. Hence, it is necessary for there to be a notation stating that this information should not be discussed with individuals outside the organization.
When making documentation for developers, you must ensure it covers every single detail of the code. It should also include an explanation of why this particular section of code or function was used rather than another. This will provide the developer with a profound understanding, boost developer experience, and generate a positive working environment.
If documentation demonstrating how to install tools and configure the system is being created for new employees, it should describe each and every step and include screenshots. Moreover, such documentation should be a mandatory part of all information given to new employees. As the new employee may not have any prior knowledge of the business, it is necessary to provide a great deal of fundamental information to them, thus improving their developer experience.
Why Developers Should Never Ignore Documentation
By managing internal documentation, one can achieve a variety of goals, including saving time, improving quality, and streamlining workflows. Therefore, it is important to have a detailed understanding of these objectives.
The most helpful documentation gathers all of the information that must be known about a task, project, code, or workflow in a single location, generally an internal website or portal. It saves time because rather than ask people for the file or documentation, search on Google, or download the attachment from an email, the employee can access the documents independently with a single click.
If you are in charge of a project and properly manage the documentation, it means that once you are transferring or leaving the organization, you won’t have to spend a lot in knowledge transfer because everything will be available with a single click. This will make it simpler for other people to do their jobs and understand the information more quickly.
This documentation can occasionally be of assistance in locating bottlenecks that exist in the code or in certain components of the software. For example, if any other software engineer or developer is reviewing the docs, they might pick something that was earlier missed.
Organizations that keep track of their previous projects using documentation. codes and dependencies that have been used in previous projects are stored in a centralized location so that when the company begins work on a new project, they have access to a location from which any user can easily obtain a reference regarding how he or she can use a specific dependency or code in their project. Not only does this help save time, but it also provides a greater understanding of the bottlenecks as well as the measures that need to be taken in order to make the project more efficient.
As a result, the majority of organizations follow the practice of producing documentation for each and every one of the smaller activities, which enables the rest of the team members to perform their jobs more effectively.
Conclusion
When comes to documentation, it is something crucial that cannot be overlooked and needs to be maintained in a more comprehensive manner. Because thanks to the consolidated and updated documentation, the organization may save a lot of time as well as provide a more thorough guide to the new employee about each and everything they want to learn about the organization. The amount of involvement required from users is typically rather modest, and workers typically only consult their coworkers when the situation is extremely urgent or when they are unable to understand anything. As a result, the documentation within the organization is needed to be maintained properly.