5 Writing Technical Documentation
This chapter covers
- Reviewing workflow and project management practices when there is proper technical documentation vs. little to no technical documentation
- Defining technical debt and how to avoid it with technical documentation
- Using technical documentation to onboard new developers so that they get up to speed quickly
- Listing best practices in structuring documentation and how to apply them
- Understand how to write an outline for technical documentation
- Using a style guide and writing documentation to get right to the point
- Managing technical documentation including keeping it updated
Lead developers must learn how to write and manage technical documentation because it helps to clearly communicate the design and functionality of a software system to both internal and external stakeholders. This includes other developers on the team, as well as project managers, QA engineers, and other non-technical team members.
5.1 Setting the Team Up for Success
5.1.1 Documenting Everything
5.1.2 Managing Technical Debt
5.1.3 Onboarding New Developers
5.2 Structuring Documentation
5.2.1 Chunking the Content
5.2.2 Using Visual Aids
5.2.3 Including an Introduction and Summary
5.3 Creating the Content
5.3.1 Starting with an Outline
5.3.2 Writing Specific Instructions
5.3.3 Getting Right to the Point
5.3.4 Using a Style Guide
5.4 Implementing a Documentation Maintenance Cycle
5.4.1 Getting Feedback
5.4.2 Setting a Documentation Maintenance Window
5.5 Case Study
5.5.1 How has writing proper documentation helped you set your team up for success?
5.5.2 Have you received feedback from other developers about your documentation? Did they suggest any improvements and what were the suggestions?
5.5.3 What if someone has never written technical documentation before? What is your advice to help them get started?
5.5.4 Have you used any AI tools for writing technical documentation and what was the result?
5.6 Summary