Documentation Mastery: The Developer's Gift to Future Self
Good documentation is a love letter to your future self and your teammates. Here's how I learned to write documentation that actually helps instead of just taking up space.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 · 7 min read · By Kevin Moe Myint Myat
I used to think documentation was a waste of time. I’d write code and move on, convinced that the code was self-explanatory. Then I had to maintain my own code six months later and realized I was wrong.
The Documentation Mindset
Documentation isn't about explaining what the code does—it's about
explaining why it does it that way. It's about capturing the
decisions, the context, and the reasoning that future developers
(including yourself) will need.
Documentation: the developer's communication bridge
The Why, Not the What
I focus on documenting the "why" behind decisions, not the "what" of
implementation. Why did I choose this approach? What alternatives did
I consider? What assumptions am I making?
The Living Document
Documentation should evolve with your code. I update it as I make
changes, add examples as I discover edge cases, and refine it based on
feedback from teammates.
What's your approach to documentation?
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