Most developers prioritize writing code over documentation. It's not that documentation is difficult, but in a deadline-driven environment, writing docs often takes a back seat, much like fixing that production bug on Friday afternoon or cleaning up untested code.
But why is that? Why do documentation tasks consistently get pushed down in our development priorities?
In this blog, we explore the psychological quirks, technical hurdles, and organizational pressures that contribute to this great documentation dilemma. We'll take a look at the impact of poor documentation on software development projects and discuss some strategies for escaping the undocumented situation.
Before that, Documentation and Categories:
Internal documentation: This is for the folks who work directly with the codebase – your fellow developers, testers, and anyone else involved in the nitty-gritty of the project. It's like the secret sauce recipe, providing guidance on best practices, technical instructions, and how to navigate those complex algorithms that only you and a select few need to understand.
External documentation: This is for the outside world – the users, customers, and developers who use your software or integrate with it; Think API references, user manuals, and those all-important Wiki's that can make or break a project's adoption.
In this blog we will focus specifically on Internal Developer Documentation that other developers can use to debug and learn about the codebase.
The Agile Reality: "We'll Document It Later"
At a time when two-week sprints and daily deployments are the norm, documentation often becomes the first casualty. We've all been there – the sprint is ending, the PR needs to be merged, and there's pressure to ship the feature. "I'll add the API docs in the next sprint", we tell ourselves while knowing deep down that "next sprint" might never come.
The reality of agile development makes this worse. When choosing between updating API documentation or tackling the next story in the backlog, guess which one usually wins? Story points and velocity metrics rarely account for documentation work. It's like technical debt, but quieter – until it isn't.
Let us know if you are a dev team, that runs separate docs sprint!
Here's what typically happens:
// Sprint 1: Initial implementation
async function processOrder(orderId) {
// TODO: Add API docs
...
}
// Sprint 3: Added new parameter
async function processOrder(orderId, options) {
// TODO: Update API docs
...
}
// Sprint 5: Breaking change
async function processOrder(orderId, options, callback) {
// TODO: Really need to update those docs...
...
}
The "we'll document it later" mentality has real consequences. That TODO comment becomes a permanent fixture, the API spec remains unclear, and six months later, your team spends hours in a meeting room trying to figure out why the payment service is sending callbacks that the order service isn't expecting.
Have you ever ran a CTRL+F with TODO in your IDE? You are an Elite engineering team if you have <10 occurrences of this search. (assuming that your team does TODO comments ;))
What stops developers from documenting Code?
A common misconception in software development is that clean, readable code eliminates the need for documentation. While descriptive function signatures and variable names help, they can’t tell the complete story of why certain decisions were made.
The "It's Obvious" Syndrome
"It's obvious – the function name tells you everything!"
Even the cleanest code can't tell the whole story. Sure, good variable names and clear functions help, but they can't explain why you chose that specific approach, what edge cases you considered, or what future maintainers should watch out for. Clean code might tell you how it works, but documentation tells you why it works that way.
The Moving Target Problem
Modern development moves fast.
Imagine your codebase is constantly evolving. New features are being added, APIs are changing, and code is being refactored. Meanwhile, your documentation starts getting stale. What was accurate last month might be misleading today, and downright wrong by next quarter.
This documentation drift happens naturally. Developers are moving fast, making many changes to code each day. Each small code change can make a piece of documentation obsolete. And it's not just about API endpoints, class methods change, function signatures evolve, and database schemas shift. Before you know it, your once accurate documentation becomes a minefield of outdated information.
For example:
That API endpoint you documented now has three new required parameters
The error codes section hasn't been updated in six months
The example code snippets don't even compile anymore
The authentication flow has completely changed, but the docs still show the old way
This is why keeping documentation in sync with code is such a challenge - it's not a one-and-done task, it's a constant battle against drift.
While the code will not necessarily stop working with documentation drift, unit tests must stay current for the code to work. Well-written tests do more than verify functionality - they demonstrate proper API usage through concrete examples. By writing meaningful test cases instead of focusing solely on coverage metrics, developers create an always-accurate reference for how the code should behave. Though tests shouldn't be the only form of documentation, they provide reliable, self-updating examples that complement written docs.
Psychological Factors (Because we're complex creatures, too)
Let's be honest - there's more to our documentation problem than just time constraints. Writing good documentation challenges us in ways that coding doesn't.
First, it requires a different mindset. When coding, we talk to computers in precise, logical terms. But documentation? We need to communicate with humans, anticipate their questions, and explain complex concepts clearly. Many developers find this mental switch challenging.
Then there's the perfectionism trap. We fear our documentation won't be good enough. What if we explain something wrong? What if we miss important details? This fear often leads to procrastination - after all, no documentation is better than wrong documentation, right? (Spoiler: it's not)
There's also the motivation factor. Pushing code and seeing it work gives us an immediate sense of achievement. Documentation doesn't provide that same instant gratification. The benefits often only become apparent weeks or months later, when someone (including future you) needs to understand how something works.
It's a mix of unfamiliar skills, fear of imperfection, and delayed rewards that makes documentation feel like such a burden.
The Impact of Poor Documentation
The consequences of poor documentation can be far-reaching, impacting not only individual developers but the entire project.
Reduced productivity & increased code maintenance - developers spend an insane amount of time ramping up on code, leading to delays.
Increased bugs and errors - Misinterpreted code, leading to more bugs and errors.
Hindered collaboration - Poor documentation makes it difficult for developers to work together.
Loss of knowledge - As team members leave, their undocumented knowledge goes with them.
What Actually Works
In the order of priority, here is a list that worked for us.
Use Meaningful Comments: There is no time to do the full documentation cycle; start with comments. Use comments to explain the "why" behind your code, not just the "what." Think of them as little love notes to your future self (or the poor soul who must maintain your code after you).
Keep it Concise and Up-to-Date: No one wants to wade through a wall of text. Keep your documentation (even if they are comments) concise, focused, and to the point. And most importantly, keep it up-to-date! Outdated documentation is worse than no documentation at all. It's like giving someone a map to a city that no longer exists – frustrating and ultimately useless.
Embrace AI Dev Documentation Tools: Modern AI tools can now automatically generate and maintain code documentation - from Docstrings in Python to JSDoc comments in JavaScript and Javadoc in Java. They can analyze your code, understand its structure, and suggest meaningful documentation that explains parameters, return types, and function purposes. While they won't replace thoughtful dev documentation, they can help jumpstart the process and keep reference documentation up to date.
Making use of README: Most teams treat README files in private repos as an afterthought - "it's internal, who needs it?" But treating your private repo's README with the same care as you would an open-source project can save hours of onboarding time. Include the project's purpose, how dev docs are written, common gotchas, and links to key internal resources like API docs, runbooks, and architecture diagrams. Think of all the questions a new team member would ask in their first week - that's what belongs in your README.
Use Visual Aids: Lastly, make an architecture or sequence diagram if you can’t write a full page of developer documentation. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to explaining complex concepts. Use diagrams, flowcharts, and other visual aids to make your dev documentation more engaging and easily understood.
Ultimately, great documentation comes down to building it into your team's DNA. Start small by making doc updates part of your PR checklist, discuss documentation in code reviews, and recognize team members who leave helpful comments or update guides. Over time you'll see a shift from "I'll document it later" to "this isn't done until it's documented."
Tying It All Together
Good documentation isn't about perfection – it's about building bridges between today's solutions and tomorrow's problems. While we can't eliminate the challenge of documentation, we can make it more manageable through small, consistent steps and a shift in team culture.
Start with meaningful comments that explain the "why"
Make documentation updates part of your PR process
Use READMEs effectively, even for internal projects
Embrace visual aids when text isn't enough
Remember, outdated docs are worse than no docs
Next time you're about to skip documentation, remember: you're not just writing it for others – you're writing it for your future self. Because in six months, we're all strangers to our own code.
At CodeRabbit, we believe in iterative improvement of code quality. For example, we generate contextual code documentation on every pull request. This feature is currently in beta. Try generating code documentation by signing up for a free trial!