Writing code may be the main component of any software development project but it’s not the only thing that matters in the process. One often overlooked part of the development process is the documentation. The importance of documentation in custom software development is evident from its prevalence in each phase of the development process.
Different types of documentation throughout the development process help the developers by acting as a guide for experts and new hires, and by keeping everything in check. Let’s have a detailed look at how documentation benefits custom software development.
Types of Documentation Involved in Custom Software Development
Documentation done during the whole software development is of many types. These include:
Requirement Documentation
This is one of the most important documentation done at the start of your project. It includes all the requirements the client has for the software. It will also include the problems that the software is trying to solve and how it will solve the problem. This document is the foundation of your software development.
Architecture and Design Documentation
This document provides a complete overview of the design and architecture of the software being developed. This will act as a guide for system integrations and operations.
Technical Documentation
This one is specifically for the developers. It deals with the technical aspects of the code and serves as a toolkit for developers, especially during the maintenance and updating phases.
Quality Assurance Documentation
This is the blueprint for the whole testing process. It will record all the different methodologies used for testing and the results obtained through it.
End-user Documentation
This is a manual document for the end-user. This document will provide the user with all the information they need to use the software/product.
Maintenance Documentation
Maintenance documents contain every alteration made to the code. These mostly include update logs of the products. Developers can use this documentation as a history of all the changes made in the original code.
Why Documentation is Important for Custom Software Development
Documentation not only has numerous benefits for the development process but also ensures a higher quality of software. Here are some of the benefits of doing documentation in your software development:
Ensures Clarity for Developers and Stakeholders
Communication between developers and other stakeholders is of utmost importance, and proper documentation helps in developing a kind of automated communication between all parties involved. If done right, documentation can mitigate the chances of any misinterpretation between stakeholders, thus providing clarity for all parties.
Code Maintenance and Future Development
Custom software development is a perpetual process due to which developers may need to go back to old code to perform updates or bug fixes. If there was proper documentation done during the coding phase then this becomes a lot more accessible.
Helps in Onboarding and Collaboration
To say that documentation merely helps in onboarding new members and collaborating with other developers will be an understatement. Acting as a knowledge transfer tool it can get new members up to speed in no time.
Assists in Auditing and Compliance
By recording data related to tests, outcomes, and different builds, documentation can help a lot to assist developers in auditing their development process. This documentation also helps develop compliance for industry standard regulations.
User Support and Training
Documents like guides and user manuals are an invaluable resource for user support. These documents provide the end users with the necessary information to use your product without any issues. There are also tutorial documents to help train both users and developers about the software’s functionality.
Conclusion
Documentation is necessary for a dynamic process like custom software development. The many inevitable challenges and issues that can occur during the development can be mitigated, or in some cases even eliminated altogether, through proper documentation. An experienced custom software development firm knows the right way to document the whole process and create a synergy between all stakeholders.
Documentation remains a vital part of software development, and any process that does not follow proper documentation protocol is a red flag that needs to be addressed by a knowledgeable development company.