Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance, and use. As a form of
knowledge management
Knowledge management (KM) is the set of procedures for producing, disseminating, utilizing, and overseeing an organization's knowledge and data. It alludes to a multidisciplinary strategy that maximizes knowledge utilization to accomplish organ ...
and
knowledge organization
Knowledge organization (KO), organization of knowledge, organization of information, or information organization is an intellectual discipline concerned with activities such as document description, indexing, and classification that serve to ...
, documentation can be provided on paper, online, or on
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Businesses
*Digital bank, a form of financial institution
*Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company
*Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...
or
analog media, such as
audio tape
Audiotape is magnetic tape used for storing audio. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Audiotape can be used in various tape recorders including machines for reel-to-reel audio tape recording on open reels ...
or
CDs
CDS, CDs, Cds, etc. may refer to:
Finance
* Canadian Depository for Securities, Canadian post-trade financial services company
* Certificate of deposit (CDs)
* Counterfeit Deterrence System, developed by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence ...
. Examples are
user guides,
white papers
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
,
online help
Online help is a form of user assistance that provides topic-oriented, procedural or reference information designed to assist in using a software application, web application or operating system. Online help linked to the application's state ( ...
, and quick-reference guides. Paper or hard-copy documentation has become less common. Documentation is often distributed via websites, software products, and other online applications.
Documentation as a set of instructional materials shouldn't be confused with
documentation science
Documentation science is the study of the wikt:recording, recording and Information retrieval, retrieval of information. It includes methods for storing, retrieving, and sharing of information captured on physical as well as digital documents. T ...
, the study of the recording and retrieval of information.
Principles for producing documentation
While associated
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
M ...
(ISO) standards are not easily available publicly, a guide from other sources for this topic may serve the purpose.
Documentation development may involve document drafting, formatting, submitting, reviewing, approving, distributing, reposting and tracking, etc., and are convened by associated
standard operating procedure
A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations. SOPs aim to achieve efficiency, quality output, and uniformity of performance, while reducing mis ...
in a regulatory industry. It could also involve creating content from scratch. Documentation should be easy to read and understand. If it is too long and too wordy, it may be misunderstood or ignored. Clear, concise words should be used, and sentences should be limited to a maximum of 15 words. Documentation intended for a general audience should avoid gender-specific terms and cultural biases. In a series of procedures, steps should be clearly numbered.
Producing documentation
Technical writers
A technical writer is a professional communicator whose task is to convey complex information in simple terms to an audience of the general public or a very select group of readers. Technical writers research and create information through a vari ...
and corporate communicators are professionals whose field and work is documentation. Ideally, technical writers have a background in both the subject matter and also in writing, managing content, and
information architecture
Information architecture (IA) is the structural design of shared information environments; the art and science of organizing and labelling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability; and an emerging ...
. Technical writers more commonly collaborate with
subject-matter experts
A subject-matter expert (SME) is a person who has accumulated great knowledge in a particular field or topic and this level of knowledge is demonstrated by the person's degree, licensure, and/or through years of professional experience with the su ...
, such as engineers, technical experts, medical professionals, etc. to define and then create documentation to meet the user's needs.
Corporate communication
Corporate communication(s) is a set of activities involved in managing and orchestrating all internal and external communications aimed at creating a favourable point of view among stakeholders on which a company depends. Riel, Cees B.M. van; Fo ...
s includes other types of written documentation, for example:
*
Market communications (MarCom): MarCom writers endeavor to convey the company's value proposition through a variety of print, electronic, and social media. This area of corporate writing is often engaged in responding to proposals.
*
Technical communication
Technical communication (or tech comm) is communication of technical subject matter such as engineering, science, or technology content. The largest part of it tends to be technical writing, though importantly it often requires aspects of visual ...
(TechCom): Technical writers document a company's product or service. Technical publications can include user guides, installation and configuration manuals, and troubleshooting and repair procedures.
*
Legal writing
Legal writing involves the analysis of fact patterns and presentation of arguments in documents such as legal memoranda and Brief (law), briefs. One form of legal writing involves drafting a balanced analysis of a legal problem or issue. Another ...
: This type of documentation is often prepared by attorneys or paralegals.
* Compliance documentation: This type of documentation codifies standard operating procedures, for any regulatory compliance needs, as for safety approval, taxation, financing, and technical approval.
* Healthcare documentation: This field of documentation encompasses the timely recording and validation of events that have occurred during the course of providing health care.
Documentation in computer science
Types
The following are typical software documentation types:
*
Request for proposal
*
Requirements
In engineering, a requirement is a condition that must be satisfied for the output of a work effort to be acceptable. It is an explicit, objective, clear and often quantitative description of a condition to be satisfied by a material, design, pro ...
/
statement of work
A statement of work (SOW) is a document routinely employed in the field of project management. It is the narrative description of a project's work requirement. It defines project-specific activities, deliverables and timelines for a vendor providin ...
/scope of work
*
Software design
Software design is the process of conceptualizing how a software system will work before it is implemented or modified.
Software design also refers to the direct result of the design process the concepts of how the software will work which co ...
and
functional specification
A functional specification (also, ''functional spec'', ''specs'', ''functional specifications document (FSD)'', ''functional requirements specification'') in systems engineering and software development is a document that specifies the function ...
*
System design
The basic study of system design is the understanding of component parts and their subsequent interaction with one another.
Systems design has appeared in a variety of fields, including sustainability, computer/software architecture, and sociolog ...
and
functional specifications
*
Change management
Change management (CM) is a discipline that focuses on managing changes within an organization. Change management involves implementing approaches to prepare and support individuals, teams, and leaders in making organizational change. Change mana ...
,
error
An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement.
In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...
and
enhancement tracking
Tracking may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage)
* Tracking, composing music with music tracker software
* Eye tracking, measuring the position of ...
*
User acceptance testing
In engineering and its various subdisciplines, acceptance testing is a test conducted to determine if the requirements of a specification or contract are met. It may involve chemical tests, physical tests, or performance tests.
In systems en ...
*
Manpages
The following are typical hardware and service documentation types:
*
Network diagrams
*
Network maps
*
Datasheet
A datasheet, data sheet, or spec sheet is a document that summarizes the performance and other characteristics of a product, machine, component (e.g., an electronic component), material, subsystem (e.g., a power supply), or software in sufficie ...
for
IT systems
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
(
server
Server may refer to:
Computing
*Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides requested information for other programs or devices, called clients.
Role
* Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending custome ...
,
switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
, e.g.)
*
Service catalog
A service catalog (or catalogue), is an organized and curated collection of business and information technology services within an enterprise.
Service catalogs are knowledge management tools which designate subject matter experts (SMEs) who answer ...
and
service portfolio (
Information Technology Infrastructure Library)
Software Documentation Folder (SDF) tool
A common type of software document written in the simulation industry is the SDF. When developing software for a
simulator
A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...
, which can range from embedded avionics devices to 3D terrain databases by way of full motion control systems, the engineer keeps a notebook detailing the development "the build" of the project or module. The document can be a wiki page,
Microsoft Word document or other environment. They should contain a ''requirements'' section, an ''interface'' section to detail the communication interface of the software. Often a ''notes'' section is used to detail the proof of concept, and then track errors and enhancements. Finally, a ''testing'' section to document how the software was tested. This documents conformance to the client's requirements. The result is a detailed description of how the software is designed, how to build and install the software on the target device, and any known defects and
workarounds. This build document enables future developers and maintainers to come up to speed on the software in a timely manner, and also provides a roadmap to modifying code or searching for bugs.
Software tools for network inventory and configuration
These software tools can automatically collect data of your network equipment. The data could be for inventory and for configuration information. The
Information Technology Infrastructure Library requests to create such a database as a basis for all information for the IT responsible. It is also the basis for IT documentation. Examples include XIA Configuration.
Documentation in criminal justice
"Documentation" is the preferred term for the process of populating criminal databases. Examples include the
National Counterterrorism Center
The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is a United States government organization responsible for national and international counterterrorism efforts. It is based in Liberty Crossing in McLean, Virginia. The NCTC advises the United States ...
's
Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment
The Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) is the U.S. government's central database on known or suspected ''international'' terrorists, and contains highly classified information provided by members of the Intelligence Community such a ...
,
sex offender registries, and gang databases.
Documentation in early childhood education
Documentation, as it pertains to the early childhood education field, is "when we notice and value children's ideas, thinking, questions, and theories about the world and then collect traces of their work (drawings, photographs of the children in action, and transcripts of their words) to share with a wider community".
Thus, documentation is a process, used to link the educator's knowledge and learning of the child/children with the families, other collaborators, and even to the children themselves. Documentation is an integral part of the cycle of inquiry - observing, reflecting, documenting, sharing and responding.
Pedagogical documentation, in terms of the teacher documentation, is the "teacher's story of the movement in children's understanding".
According to Stephanie Cox Suarez in "Documentation - Transforming our Perspectives", "teachers are considered researchers, and documentation is a research tool to support knowledge building among children and adults".
Documentation can take many different styles in the classroom. The following exemplifies ways in which documentation can make the research, or learning, visible:
# Documentation panels (bulletin-board-like presentation with multiple pictures and descriptions about the project or event).
# Daily log (a log kept every day that records the play and learning in the classroom)
# Documentation developed by or with the children (when observing children during documentation, the child's lens of the observation is used in the actual documentation)
# Individual portfolios (documentation used to track and highlight the development of each child)
# Electronic documentation (using apps and devices to share documentation with families and collaborators)
# Transcripts or recordings of conversations (using recording in documentation can bring about deeper reflections for both the educator and the child)
# Learning stories (a narrative used to "describe learning and help children see themselves as powerful learners"
)
# The classroom as documentation (reflections and documentation of the physical environment of a
classroom
A classroom, schoolroom or lecture room is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other place ...
).
Documentation is certainly a process in and of itself, and it is also a process within the educator. The following is the development of documentation as it progresses for and in the educator themselves:
* Develop(s) habits of documentation
* Become(s) comfortable with going public with recounting of activities
* Develop(s) visual literacy skills
* Conceptualize(s) the purpose of documentation as making learning styles visible, and
* Share(s) visible theories for interpretation purposes and further design of curriculum.
See also
*
Author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
ing
*
Bibliographic control
In library and information science, cataloging ( US) or cataloguing ( UK) is the process of creating metadata representing information resources, such as books, sound recordings, moving images, etc. Cataloging provides information such as aut ...
*
Change control
Within quality management systems (QMS) and information technology (IT) systems, change control is a process—either formal or informal—used to ensure that changes to a product or system are introduced in a controlled and coordinated manner. I ...
*
Citation Index
A citation index is a kind of bibliographic index, an index of citations between publications, allowing the user to easily establish which later documents cite which earlier documents. A form of citation index is first found in 12th-century H ...
*
Copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
*
Description
Description is any type of communication that aims to make vivid a place, object, person, group, or other physical entity. It is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as ''modes of discourse''), along with exposition, argumentation, and narr ...
*
Document
A document is a writing, written, drawing, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of nonfiction, non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ', which denotes ...
*
Documentation (field)
*
Documentation science
Documentation science is the study of the wikt:recording, recording and Information retrieval, retrieval of information. It includes methods for storing, retrieving, and sharing of information captured on physical as well as digital documents. T ...
*
Document identifier
*
Document management system
A document management system (DMS) is usually a computerized system used to store, share, track and manage files or documents. Some systems include history tracking where a log of the various versions created and modified by different users is r ...
*
Documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
*
Freedom of information
*
Glossary
A glossary (from , ''glossa''; language, speech, wording), also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of Term (language), terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a gloss ...
*
Historical document
Historical documents are original documents that contain important historical information about a person, place, or event and can thus serve as primary sources as important ingredients of the historical methodology.
Significant historical docume ...
*
Index (publishing)
An index (: usually indexes, more rarely indices) is a list of words or phrases ('headings') and associated pointers ('locators') to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document or collection of documents. Examples ar ...
*
ISO 2384:1977
*
ISO 259:1984
*
ISO 5123:1984
*
ISO 3602:1989
*
ISO 6357:1985
*
ISO 690
ISO 690 is an ISO standard governing bibliographic references in different kinds of documents, including electronic documents. This international standard specifies the bibliographic elements that need to be included in references to publishe ...
*
ISO 5964
*
ISO 9001
The ISO 9000 family is a set of international standards for quality management systems. It was developed in March 1987 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ensure that they meet ...
*
IEC 61355
*
International Standard Bibliographic Description
The International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) is a set of rules produced by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to create a bibliographic description in a standard, human-readable form, espec ...
*
Journal of Documentation
The ''Journal of Documentation'' is a double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal covering theories, concepts, models, frameworks, and philosophies in information science. The journal publishes scholarly articles, research reports, and critical re ...
*
Licensing
A license (American English) or licence ( Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another par ...
*
Letterhead
A letterhead is the heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper (stationery). It consists of a name, address, logo or trademark, and sometimes a background pattern.
Overview
Many companies and individuals prefer to create a letterhead template ...
*
List of Contents
*
Technical documentation
Technical may refer to:
* Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle
* Technical area, an area which a manager, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a football match
* Technical advisor, a person who ...
*
User guide
A user guide, also commonly known as a user manual, is intended to assist users in using a particular product, service or application. It is usually written by a technician, product developer, or a company's customer service staff.
Most user gu ...
*
Medical certificate
A medical certificate or doctor's certificate is a written statement from a physician or another medically qualified health care provider which attests to the result of a medical examination of a patient. It can serve as a sick note ( UK: fit no ...
*
Publishing
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
*
Records management
Records management, also known as records and information management, is an organizational function devoted to the information management, management of information in an organization throughout its records life-cycle, life cycle, from the time of ...
*
Software documentation
Software documentation is written text or illustration that accompanies computer software or is embedded in the source code. The documentation either explains how the software operates or how to use it, and may mean different things to people in ...
*
Style guide
A style guide is a set of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents. A book-length style guide is often called a style manual or a manual of style. A short style guide, typically ranging from several to several dozen page ...
*
Technical communication
Technical communication (or tech comm) is communication of technical subject matter such as engineering, science, or technology content. The largest part of it tends to be technical writing, though importantly it often requires aspects of visual ...
References
External links
IEEE Professional Communication Societyby The Linux Information Project (LINFO)
List of selected tools
* Library of articles on documentation
IRISH DRIVING LICENSE, Information & Documentation
{{Authority control
Technical communication
Information science