Dokumentationer

Dokumentationer are records or documents that describe or record information about products, services, processes, systems, or events. They provide evidence, guide use, support maintenance, and enable accountability. In many contexts, dokumentationer are created to communicate how something works, why decisions were made, and how to reproduce results. They can be produced in written, graphical, or digital form and may be stored as standalone files or as part of a larger information system.

Common types include technical documentation (user manuals, installation guides, API references), process documentation (standard operating procedures, work instructions, flowcharts), compliance and audit documentation (certificates, test reports, change logs), project documentation (requirements, design documents, meeting minutes), and archival or historical documentation (records kept for long-term preservation).

Key features include a clear scope and audience, structured organization, metadata (author, date, version, status), version history and change control, and review and approval workflows. Documentation typically follows a lifecycle from creation to distribution, storage, and eventual disposal. Formats vary from PDF and Word documents to structured markup such as XML or DITA, and may be managed in document management systems or version control repositories.

Standards and best practices emphasize traceability, accessibility, and archival quality. Many industries require documented information for safety, compliance, or quality management (for example ISO 9001 uses documented information; software teams may rely on API documentation or README conventions). In Nordic languages, dokumentationer generally refers to such records; there is a related term for documentary films, dokumentärer, in some contexts.