Manual Documentation Processes vs Documentation As Code

Developers should learn manual documentation processes to understand foundational documentation practices, especially in environments with limited resources or when working on small-scale projects where automation tools are unnecessary meets developers should adopt documentation as code when working in agile or devops environments to maintain accurate, version-controlled documentation that evolves with the codebase. Here's our take.

Manual Documentation Processes

Nice Pick

Developers should learn manual documentation processes to understand foundational documentation practices, especially in environments with limited resources or when working on small-scale projects where automation tools are unnecessary

Pros

• It is crucial for maintaining clarity, ensuring team alignment, and complying with regulatory standards in industries like healthcare or finance, where detailed records are mandatory
• Related to: technical-writing, version-control

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Documentation As Code

Developers should adopt Documentation As Code when working in agile or DevOps environments to maintain accurate, version-controlled documentation that evolves with the codebase

Pros

• It's particularly useful for API documentation, technical guides, and project wikis, as it reduces documentation drift, facilitates team collaboration through pull requests, and supports continuous integration/deployment pipelines for automated publishing
• Related to: git, markdown

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Manual Documentation Processes if: You want it is crucial for maintaining clarity, ensuring team alignment, and complying with regulatory standards in industries like healthcare or finance, where detailed records are mandatory and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Documentation As Code if: You prioritize it's particularly useful for api documentation, technical guides, and project wikis, as it reduces documentation drift, facilitates team collaboration through pull requests, and supports continuous integration/deployment pipelines for automated publishing over what Manual Documentation Processes offers.

The Bottom Line

Manual Documentation Processes wins

Developers should learn manual documentation processes to understand foundational documentation practices, especially in environments with limited resources or when working on small-scale projects where automation tools are unnecessary