WeAreDevelopers Logo WeAreDevelopers
Sign in
For You LIVE
World Congress 2024 β€’ Aug 13, 2024 β€’ Session details

"I will remember that" and other lies - Why documentation matters and it makes your apps better

Luise Freese

Think you will remember why you wrote that complex workaround six months from now? Stop lying to yourself and discover how proper documentation actually builds better apps.

Pause
Mute Enter Fullscreen
#1 about 3 min

Defining types of product documentation for software projects

Product documentation encompasses essential requirements, design records, API references, and test strategies rather than just basic project readmes.

#2 about 3 min

Establishing clear specifications and software design descriptions

Writing comprehensive technical requirements and concurrent design documents establishes a single source of truth that prevents costly misunderstandings.

#3 about 3 min

Writing source code comments and release notes effectively

Descriptive in-line comments and automated release notes provide crucial context for maintaining codebases over time.

#4 about 3 min

Incorporating expected user experience and accessibility guidelines

Documenting user personas, story maps, and accessibility guides ensures holistic product design from initial requirements to ongoing evolution.

#5 about 7 min

Driving business objectives through comprehensive technical documentation

Centralizing project information mitigates development risks, accelerates developer onboarding, and prevents teams from repeating historical mistakes.

#6 about 6 min

Improving software architecture skills through consistent writing habits

Detailing software functionality deepens fundamental architectural understanding, strictly supports legal compliance, and inherently leads to cleaner implementations.

#7 about 1 min

Establishing ongoing documentation habits during software development

Logging architectural decisions concurrently alongside development workflows captures crucial context before it is irrevocably forgotten.

Matching moments

1:58 min

Designing technical documentation for cross-functional audiences

Simon Lasselsberger Β· World Congress 2022

1:59 min

Identifying common types of technical documentation

Hila Fish Β· World Congress 2023

2:49 min

Boosting team productivity with comprehensive engineering documentation

Abiodun Olowode Abiodun Olowode Β· World Congress 2024

3:44 min

Discovering the long-term value of continuous software code documentation

Anastasiia Tymoshchuk Β· World Congress 2023

2:46 min

Debunking the myth of self-documenting clean code

Patrick Schnell Patrick Schnell Β· World Congress 2025

50 sec

Using understanding-oriented documentation to explain integrations and software architecture

Anastasiia Tymoshchuk Β· World Congress 2023

More from World Congress 2024

Beyond the Hype: Real-World AI Strategies Panel thumbnail
24:07
about 1 year ago

Beyond the Hype: Real-World AI Strategies Panel

Mike Butcher, JΓΌrgen MΓΌller, Katrin Lehmann, Tobias Regenfuss

Carl Lapierre - Exploring Advanced Patterns in Retrieval-Augmented Generation thumbnail
21:17
almost 2 years ago

Carl Lapierre - Exploring Advanced Patterns in Retrieval-Augmented Generation

Carl Lapierre

Coding an Immersive Copilot using Unity / .NET and Azure OpenAI! thumbnail
31:50
about 2 years ago

Coding an Immersive Copilot using Unity / .NET and Azure OpenAI!

Zaid Zaim

Building a diverse tech company: The power of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging thumbnail
29:43
about 2 years ago

Building a diverse tech company: The power of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Sue Quackenbush

Livecoding with AI thumbnail
31:39
about 2 years ago

Livecoding with AI

Rainer Stropek

Dapr in Practice thumbnail
24:08
about 2 years ago

Dapr in Practice

marcklefter

Upcoming sessions on this topic

Open session

Designing for Every Direction: Logical CSS for Global, Adaptive, and Effortlessly Reversible UIs

  • Vidhya Krishnamoorthy

    Morgan Stanley

    VP, Software Engineering Manager

Open session

Teaching AI Coding Agents to Build It Right the First Time

  • Sajeetharan Sinnathurai

    Microsoft

    Principal Product Manager

Open session

What If AI Helps Us Build the Wrong Product Faster?

  • Sekhar Burra

    Sain Innovation

    CEO

Open session

From Profiler to Production: Measuring What Actually Matters in React & React Native

  • Andrei Tazetdinov

    Dynatrace

    React Native Developer

Open session

Prompt Debt: Why Your AI System Is Frozen in Time

  • Suriya Prakash B

    Red Hat

    Principal Software Engineer

Open session

AI Is the Easy Part: Why Faster Engineers Don't Make Faster Businesses

  • Bharat Sharma

    Booking

    Senior Engineering Manager

Related videos

Humanizing Your Documentation thumbnail
27:25
World Congress 2022 β€’ over 4 years ago

Humanizing Your Documentation

Carolyn Stransky

Technical Documentation - How Can I Write Them Better and Why Should I Care? thumbnail
31:23
World Congress 2023 β€’ about 3 years ago

Technical Documentation - How Can I Write Them Better and Why Should I Care?

Hila Fish

Continuous Documentation for Your Code thumbnail
20:19
World Congress 2023 β€’ almost 3 years ago

Continuous Documentation for Your Code

Anastasiia Tymoshchuk

Communicate efficiently with Software Architecture Diagrams thumbnail
28:11
World Congress 2022 β€’ over 4 years ago

Communicate efficiently with Software Architecture Diagrams

Simon Lasselsberger

Living Documentation That Can't Die thumbnail
19:16
Europe 2026 Virtual β€’ 3 months ago

Living Documentation That Can't Die

Roman Liukevich

Why (most) software projects fail silently... thumbnail
28:17
World Congress 2025 β€’ about 1 year ago

Why (most) software projects fail silently...

Hendrik LΓΆsch

Related articles

From learning to earning

Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.