Documentation

Documentation from the very beginning

Whenever I get on a new project, I write my notes. I don't remember all the details, all the reasons why something needs to be done the way it is. It's easy to put it down when it's fresh rather than after everything is done. All seems obvious now because of all that time I spent on that. Moreover, there is rarely time for that.

I write all the notes I find relevant. I make sure I have all the related documents linked. I make clear all the new terms. I might know it now but ask me about it in a year.

Keep it up-to-date

As the work on the project continues, new things will pop up. These are especially valuable to write down as it was not apparent from the start. All the new decisions, problems, and unknowns go there as well. It should be visible what is clear and what is still unknown. I update the document with the answers once I have them.

Document together

The personal notes don't need to serve just to me. An official project document contains all the information for everybody, so if I need all the little details for myself, it should be there.

Document for others

People are joining the project in various stages of delivery. If we decide things on the start but won't write it down, it won't be known for people working on the last mile. Less context usually leads to worse results.

I don't need to explain the whole project to colleagues. I can briefly go through the main points, and the document contains the details.