How can you create software documentation that exceeds industry standards?

2 Follow the documentation standards and guidelines

The next step to create software documentation that exceeds industry standards is to follow the documentation standards and guidelines that apply to your project. These may include industry-specific standards, such as IEEE, ISO, or CMMI, or project-specific standards, such as style guides, templates, or checklists. Following the standards and guidelines will help you ensure consistency, accuracy, and completeness of your documentation. It will also make your documentation easier to read, understand, and maintain.

4 Write clear, concise, and correct documentation

The fourth step to create software documentation that exceeds industry standards is to write clear, concise, and correct documentation. This means that your documentation should be easy to follow, understand, and apply by your audience. It should also be free of errors, ambiguities, and redundancies. To write clear, concise, and correct documentation, you should use simple and precise language, avoid jargon and acronyms, use active voice and present tense, use headings and subheadings, use lists and tables, use examples and illustrations, and use consistent terminology and notation.

5 Review and test your documentation

The fifth step to create software documentation that exceeds industry standards is to review and test your documentation. This means that you should check your documentation for quality, accuracy, completeness, and usability. You should also verify that your documentation matches your software and meets your audience's and purpose's expectations. To review and test your documentation, you should use different methods and techniques, such as peer reviews, user feedback, quality metrics, usability tests, or automated tools.

6 Update and maintain your documentation

The sixth and final step to create software documentation that exceeds industry standards is to update and maintain your documentation. This means that you should keep your documentation current, relevant, and consistent with your software and your project's changes. You should also ensure that your documentation is accessible, searchable, and secure. To update and maintain your documentation, you should use version control, change management, and documentation management systems. You should also follow a regular schedule and process for updating and maintaining your documentation.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?