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What are the most effective ways to document code changes?

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Documentation is an essential part of any coding project, especially in operations research, where complex models and algorithms are often involved. However, documenting code changes can be challenging, time-consuming, and sometimes overlooked. In this article, you will learn some of the most effective ways to document code changes and why they matter for your operations research projects.

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John Soje

MSc. A decision maker's ally - guiding cross-functional teams to improve processes and returns on data…

1 Why document code changes?

Documenting code changes helps you and others understand what has been done, why, and how. It also facilitates collaboration, debugging, testing, and maintenance of your code. Moreover, documenting code changes can improve the quality, reliability, and reproducibility of your operations research results, as well as your communication with stakeholders and clients.

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John Soje

MSc. A decision maker's ally - guiding cross-functional teams to improve processes and returns on data investments. Prince 2 Project Management | Business Analysis | Data, Insights | Credit Risk, IFRS9 & Controls | Agile
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I recall from prior experience when I was handling data using SAS as a credit risk analyst with a challenger bank. A contractor had written a coded calculations process for a mortgage portfolio when it was initiated. A few years later, the majority of the team (including me) struggled to update and adapt the code to the growing portfolio. The code was complex and we struggled to reconcile the procedures to the business requirements. It took several weeks and effort (engaging with more experienced engineers in the business) to utilise the code. In the end, we redesigned the code and adopted a standard approach for the business.

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2 What to document?

When recording code changes, there are different types of documentation you can use depending on your needs and preferences. Comments are short explanations or notes inserted in code to describe what a line or block does, or to highlight any issues or assumptions. Commit messages are brief summaries written when saving or updating code in a version control system. These should capture the main purpose and scope of the changes, as well as any relevant details or references. Documentation files are separate files providing comprehensive and structured information about your code, such as its functionality, inputs, outputs, parameters, dependencies, and limitations. These files can be written in different formats such as Markdown, HTML, or LaTeX and can include diagrams, tables, or equations. Documentation files are useful for presenting and explaining your code to a wider audience like peers, managers, or clients.

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Indrani Sen

AVP at Deutsche Bank India
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Every thing which is important can be documented, from software architecture to testing process, team details ,bugs details, upcoming features details etc. A good documentation process in organization help project team member catchup easily when working on big projects with multiple development teams. Even small project if it is properly documented users like to use it, Documentation can be done using various ways like using tools like html markup, using readme.md, using swagger docs for api or using software like confluence for team collaboration.

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John Soje

MSc. A decision maker's ally - guiding cross-functional teams to improve processes and returns on data investments. Prince 2 Project Management | Business Analysis | Data, Insights | Credit Risk, IFRS9 & Controls | Agile
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There should be an agreed standard within a team for documenting processes and codes, aligned with business requirements. Within codes, there should be comments (albeit high level) to describe the purpose of the procedure (again easier to reconcile with the business requirement). A more detailed document (in an agreed format) should be produced, to include data sourcing (including relevant systems), lineage, assumptions, parameters, and dependencies. In my current role, the technology team is adopting Gitlab for efficient code management, monitoring, and security.

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3 How to document?

When documenting code changes, there are various methods and tools that you can use, depending on your preferences and resources. Code editors, such as Visual Studio Code, Atom, or Sublime Text, are effective for this purpose as they often have features like syntax highlighting, autocomplete, snippets, or plugins. Version control systems like Git, SVN, or Mercurial can be used to manage and track changes to your code by creating and switching between different versions of your code or collaborating with other developers. Additionally, documentation generators such as Doxygen, Sphinx, or Javadoc can be used to automatically generate documentation files from your code based on the comments or annotations included. This can save time and effort while ensuring consistency and accuracy of your documentation.

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4 When to document?

Documenting code changes should be an ongoing and iterative process, not a one-time or final task. You should document code changes as soon as possible, preferably before or during the coding process, rather than after. This way, you can avoid forgetting or omitting important information, as well as reduce the risk of errors or conflicts. You should also update your documentation whenever you make significant or relevant changes to your code, such as adding new features, fixing bugs, or optimizing performance.

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John Soje

MSc. A decision maker's ally - guiding cross-functional teams to improve processes and returns on data investments. Prince 2 Project Management | Business Analysis | Data, Insights | Credit Risk, IFRS9 & Controls | Agile
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I led the development of a new credit risk model solution which involved reusing parts of existing codes and processes. The existing codes were not clear and inefficient (used up plenty of resources in the cloud environment). So, we included documentation as a priority in all requirements across all development stages. This supported our principles for reuse and simplification, which ultimately improved testing (systems and user acceptance).

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5 How much to document?

Documenting code changes is an essential part of operations research, but it doesn't mean writing everything or anything about your code. It means providing enough and relevant information to help you and others understand, use, and improve your code. When documenting changes, be concise, consistent, accurate, and helpful. Use clear and concise sentences that convey the essential information without being too verbose or vague. Follow a standard or agreed-upon convention or guide for your comments, commit messages, and documentation files. Make sure the information is accurate and truthful, and that it reflects the current state and behavior of your code. Additionally, provide helpful and informative information that can answer the questions or solve the problems of your intended audience by including examples, references, or links where appropriate. Doing so will ensure that your operations research projects are of high quality and have greater impact.

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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?

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What are the most effective ways to document code changes?

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5

6

1 Why document code changes?

2 What to document?

3 How to document?

4 When to document?

5 How much to document?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Operations Research

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What are the most effective ways to document code changes?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Why document code changes?

2 What to document?

3 How to document?

4 When to document?

5 How much to document?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Operations Research

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