What are the most effective documentation formats for application development?

Your code should be clear and clean enough that it does not need to be commented. If that's not possible due to external concerns, make sure you add a clear enough summary of context that a Jr developer can understand what you want to do and most importantly, why you want to do it. Its often the case that a comment that is understandable by one person may lack enough context for another; Make sure to put the hard work needed into the problem to write the correct comment that explains the problem simply. You should put the same amount of care into your comments as you do your code. If your comment is just a plan English version of the code, consider removing the comment as it may not provide enough value.

When in doubt, Use Swagger aka OpenAPI to comment your online API Code. This is the language and platform agnostic standard for online API documentation, and so not using it or not shipping an endpoint to support it can create developer frustration and pain as well as make your API offerings look less polished from a business perspective. Often this work can be done via automation or plugins that use metaprogramming or reflection to do the work for you, so it should never be a blocking issue on a well run software team.

API documentation serves not only external entities relying on the product API but is also vital for QA teams in distributed dev units. QA engineers and developers from other teams often need to adapt, use, and create tests for API handlers. These experts constitute the primary consumers, necessitating up-to-date documentation with examples for effective communication and time savings in testing. Providing such support demands additional effort, exemplified by tools like Swagger, but proves a valuable investment for short-term and long-term efficiency. Prioritizing comprehensive API documentation emerges as a strategic move to enhance project communication and efficiency, benefitting not only external parties but also internal dev teams.

Maintaining updated documentation may seem time-consuming initially, yet it's crucial for project success. Consistently updating information on product installation, execution, and local setup helps prevent a potential bus factor, where only a few team members possess essential knowledge for future operations. As changes, like additional environmental variables or critical package updates, occur, timely communication with all relevant team members is imperative. The README serves as an efficient tool for conveying such changes, ensuring comprehensive documentation for the entire team. This proactive strategy guards against knowledge silos, fortifying project resilience amid personnel changes or evolving technical requirements.

A project without a readme file is a red flag that a project has incompetent technical leadership. The README file should explicitly be located at the root of the source code repository, and should include all the data that a developer on the team needs to get started checking in code or contributing to it. This includes, but is not limited to: - Brief explanation of the problem the software solves. - How to set up a local development environment from the perspective of a new team member, including the terminal commands to run. - References to other team specific resources. Consider this a living document that should be 100% accurate at all times, and include the time needed to do so in your project planning.

This should be available via a separate ARCHUTECTURE file that is in the same directory as the README file. Use MermaidJS, DOT (Graphviz), or some other text based diagramming solution to assure this is plain text and checked in. Update this document as you would the README file, taking time to update it as a living document that should always match the current design of your codebase.

An illustrative example of applying these best practices in IT Application Architecture documentation is to create a comprehensive guide for implementing microservices. Tailor the language to both developers and non-technical stakeholders, providing a balance of detail. Utilize a standardized format with clear headings, font styles, and relevant visuals to enhance clarity. Regularly update the documentation to align with evolving microservices architecture and incorporate feedback from both developers and end-users to ensure accuracy and completeness. This approach enhances understanding and adoption while fostering continuous improvement in the microservices ecosystem.