Dynamic

Over Documentation vs Living Documentation

Developers should be aware of Over Documentation to avoid its pitfalls, such as wasted time, outdated information, and reduced agility in projects meets developers should adopt living documentation when working on complex, rapidly changing systems where traditional documentation quickly becomes obsolete, such as in agile or devops environments. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

Over Documentation

Developers should be aware of Over Documentation to avoid its pitfalls, such as wasted time, outdated information, and reduced agility in projects

Over Documentation

Nice Pick

Developers should be aware of Over Documentation to avoid its pitfalls, such as wasted time, outdated information, and reduced agility in projects

Pros

  • +It is relevant in contexts where documentation requirements are poorly defined or teams prioritize documentation over iterative development, such as in overly bureaucratic environments or legacy systems with rigid processes
  • +Related to: agile-methodology, code-documentation

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Living Documentation

Developers should adopt Living Documentation when working on complex, rapidly changing systems where traditional documentation quickly becomes obsolete, such as in agile or DevOps environments

Pros

  • +It is particularly valuable for API documentation, architectural decisions, and test specifications, as it ensures stakeholders always have access to current information without extra overhead
  • +Related to: test-driven-development, behavior-driven-development

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Over Documentation if: You want it is relevant in contexts where documentation requirements are poorly defined or teams prioritize documentation over iterative development, such as in overly bureaucratic environments or legacy systems with rigid processes and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Living Documentation if: You prioritize it is particularly valuable for api documentation, architectural decisions, and test specifications, as it ensures stakeholders always have access to current information without extra overhead over what Over Documentation offers.

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The Bottom Line
Over Documentation wins

Developers should be aware of Over Documentation to avoid its pitfalls, such as wasted time, outdated information, and reduced agility in projects

Disagree with our pick? nice@nicepick.dev