Documentation Requirements

In This Document

• In This Document
• Documentation Philosophy
• Required Documentation Types
  • Code Documentation Requirements
  • API Documentation Requirements
  • Architecture Documentation Requirements
  • Process Documentation Requirements
• Documentation Standards
  • Formatting
  • Writing Style
  • Documentation Organization
• Documentation Tools
• Documentation Review Process
• Documentation Maintenance
• Documentation Metrics
• Integration with Development Process

Documentation Philosophy

Our team believes that comprehensive documentation is essential for maintaining a sustainable codebase and efficient development process. Our documentation philosophy is guided by these principles:

1. Documentation as a First-Class Citizen: Documentation is as important as code
2. Write for the Future: Document for future team members (including your future self)
3. Context Matters: Explain the "why" behind decisions, not just the "what" and "how"
4. Keep It Current: Outdated documentation is often worse than no documentation
5. Right Level of Detail: Balance comprehensiveness with maintainability

Required Documentation Types

Code Documentation

Code Documentation Requirements

Aligning with our Global Coding Standards:

• PHPDoc/JSDoc: All public methods and classes must have documentation blocks
• Complex Logic: Add inline comments explaining non-obvious code
• Constants: Document the purpose and valid values of constants
• Exceptions: Document when and why exceptions are thrown
• Dependencies: Document external dependencies and their purpose

Example PHP method documentation:

/**
 * Retrieves a user by their email address
 *
 * @param string $email The user's email address
 * @return User|null The user object if found, null otherwise
 * @throws InvalidArgumentException If the email format is invalid
 */
public function getUserByEmail(string $email): ?User
{
    // Implementation
}

API Documentation

API Documentation Requirements

• OpenAPI/Swagger: All API endpoints must be documented with OpenAPI
• Request Parameters: Document all parameters, their types, and constraints
• Response Format: Document response structure and possible status codes
• Authentication: Document authentication requirements
• Rate Limits: Document any rate limiting that applies
• Examples: Provide request and response examples

See our API Documentation page for more details.

Architecture Documentation

Architecture Documentation Requirements

• System Overview: High-level description of the system architecture
• Component Diagrams: Visual representation of system components
• Data Flow Diagrams: How data moves through the system
• Sequence Diagrams: For complex interactions between components
• Decision Records: Documentation of key architectural decisions

See our Architecture Documentation page for more details.

Process Documentation

Process Documentation Requirements

• Development Workflow: Git workflow, branching strategy, etc.
• Deployment Process: Steps for deploying to different environments
• Testing Strategy: Approach to unit, integration, and end-to-end testing
• Release Process: Steps for preparing and executing releases
• Incident Response: Procedures for handling production issues

Documentation Standards

Formatting

• Use Markdown for all documentation
• Follow consistent heading structure
• Use code blocks with appropriate syntax highlighting
• Include tables for structured data
• Use diagrams where appropriate (Mermaid.js preferred)

Writing Style

• Write in clear, concise language
• Use active voice
• Be specific and provide examples
• Avoid jargon and abbreviations without explanation
• Use consistent terminology

Documentation Organization

• Group related documentation together
• Use descriptive filenames and titles
• Include a table of contents for longer documents
• Link related documentation
• Use tags for searchability

Documentation Tools

• Docusaurus: Main knowledge base (this site)
• PHPDoc/JSDoc: Code documentation
• OpenAPI/Swagger: API documentation
• Mermaid.js: Diagrams embedded in Markdown
• Confluence: Additional project documentation

Documentation Review Process

Documentation should be reviewed as part of the code review process:

1. Check for completeness and accuracy
2. Verify that the documentation is up-to-date
3. Ensure adherence to documentation standards
4. Validate that examples work as described
5. Check for clarity and readability

Documentation Maintenance

• Update documentation when code changes
• Review documentation quarterly for accuracy
• Archive obsolete documentation
• Track documentation debt alongside technical debt
• Assign documentation owners for different areas

Documentation Metrics

We track these metrics to ensure documentation quality:

• Documentation coverage (% of code with documentation)
• Documentation freshness (last update date)
• Documentation completeness (based on checklist)
• User feedback on documentation usefulness
• Time spent by new team members finding information

Integration with Development Process

Documentation is integrated into our development process:

• Documentation updates are required in pull requests
• CI/CD checks for documentation coverage
• Documentation is part of the definition of done
• Time for documentation is included in task estimates
• Documentation quality is part of code review criteria