Agile development methods have become the standard for IT teams who need to design, execute, and deliver projects such as applications and other products to their end audience. While documentation is not the most valuable element of this type of production, it can be the extra detail to improve the quality of your team's work. Software documentation can help programmers by making the software easier to use as well as understand, especially when the software needs improvement. For the documentation to be well done and intelligible, some important points must be considered:
1. Identify your audience - It's essential to understand for whom the documentation will be written. Talk to the team, read past research and documents, understand your audience's vocabulary, and seek cultural neutrality.
2. Research - Ask the right questions (who, when, how, what, where). Understand the role of each sector in the project and ask questions that are consistent with the roles. Don't be afraid to ask.
3. Determine Objectives - Establish what the audience needs to know after reading the documentation and the depth of prior knowledge required. Also, understand what the reader wants to achieve with the product.
4. Review - start with a draft as complete as possible, then have more than one person review it. Make sure that the information is well-structured.
5. Maintain - keep the documentation up-to-date, identify broken links and format accordingly. Make sure that the documentation is in line with product development.
Software documentation cannot be rushed like any other form of technical writing. Moreover, it is not always a one-man effort. It requires close collaboration with relevant stakeholders, software developers and other parties directly or indirectly involved in the project. By following best practices, addressing all pain points, and most importantly, staying within scope, the documentation will be excellent and practical.