Documentation

Documentation is the set of materials that explain how a product, system, or process works and how to use it. It includes text, diagrams, and multimedia designed to support learning, operation, and maintenance. Well-made documentation helps users perform tasks correctly and efficiently and reduces the need for direct support.

Documentation is usually divided into user documentation and developer documentation. User documentation covers manuals, tutorials, reference guides, and troubleshooting help for end users. Developer documentation describes APIs, data models, and design decisions to help programmers build or integrate with the product. Other documents cover installation, configuration, and maintenance procedures.

Effective documentation is accurate, complete, up to date, clear, and accessible. It targets a specific audience and uses consistent terminology, structured navigation, and examples. Good docs are written with task-focused language and tested against real workflows. Localization and accessibility should be considered for a broad audience.

Documentation follows a lifecycle: planning, authoring, reviewing, publishing, and ongoing maintenance. Changes to the product require synchronized updates to docs. Teams often use markup, content management systems, version control, and automated checks to support quality and collaboration.

Common challenges include keeping materials current, avoiding duplication, and making information easy to find. Metrics such as usage statistics and task success rates can help assess usefulness. Documentation should align with training, support, and product development to remain relevant.

In practice, documentation is a discipline of technical writing and knowledge management that combines information design, user experience, and governance to create trustworthy, usable information.