How do you create and update system documentation?

1 Choose the right format

Depending on the purpose, audience, and scope of your system documentation, you may need to use different formats and tools to present your information. For example, you may use text documents, diagrams, tables, charts, code snippets, screenshots, videos, or interactive dashboards. You should choose the format that best suits your needs and preferences, and that is compatible with your system engineering standards and processes. You should also consider the readability, accessibility, and usability of your format, and avoid unnecessary complexity or redundancy.

2 Follow the documentation plan

A documentation plan is a document that defines the goals, scope, structure, format, content, style, and schedule of your system documentation. It also identifies the roles and responsibilities of the documentation team, the tools and resources needed, and the quality criteria and review process. A documentation plan helps you to organize and manage your documentation activities, and to ensure consistency and completeness of your documentation. You should follow the documentation plan throughout the system engineering lifecycle, and update it as needed to reflect any changes or feedback.

3 Use templates and standards

Templates and standards are predefined formats and guidelines that help you to create and update your system documentation in a consistent and efficient way. They can include elements such as headings, sections, fonts, colors, logos, tables of contents, indexes, references, glossaries, appendices, and so on. Templates and standards can also specify the syntax, semantics, and notation of your documentation language, such as natural language, mathematical language, or modeling language. You should use templates and standards that are appropriate for your system engineering domain, methodology, and organization, and that comply with any relevant regulations or norms.

4 Document as you go

Documenting as you go is a process of creating and updating system documentation in parallel with system engineering activities, rather than waiting until the end. This approach has multiple advantages, such as capturing and recording system information and decisions in a timely and accurate manner, avoiding forgetting or losing important details or insights, identifying and resolving any issues or gaps in design or implementation, communicating and collaborating better with stakeholders and team members, and reducing the effort and cost of documentation maintenance and revision. To document as you go, you should allocate enough time and resources for documentation in your project plan, integrate documentation tasks into your system engineering workflow, and use tools and techniques like automation, version control, collaboration platforms, or agile methods.

5 Review and update regularly

Regularly reviewing and updating your system documentation is essential to ensure that it is correct, complete, relevant, and up to date. This is because changes in system requirements, design, implementation, testing, or maintenance can make your system documentation obsolete, inaccurate, or inconsistent. When you review and update your system documentation regularly, you validate and verify your system information and functionality. You also improve the quality and usability of your documentation by incorporating feedback or suggestions from stakeholders or users. Additionally, you can adapt to any changes in your system engineering environment or context. To review and update your system documentation effectively and efficiently, you should define a documentation review and update process with specified frequency, scope, criteria, and roles of the review and update activities. Furthermore, use tools and techniques such as tracking, auditing, testing, or feedback mechanisms for better results. By following these tips and best practices, you can create and update your system documentation to enhance system engineering performance and outcomes.

6 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?