Living Documentation vs Over 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DevOps environments meets developers should be aware of over documentation to avoid its pitfalls, such as wasted time, outdated information, and reduced agility in projects. Here's our take.
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
Living Documentation
Nice PickDevelopers 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
Over Documentation
Developers should be aware of Over Documentation to avoid its pitfalls, such as wasted time, outdated information, and reduced agility in projects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
The Verdict
Use Living Documentation if: You want 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 and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.
Use Over Documentation if: You prioritize 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 over what Living Documentation offers.
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
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