Minimal viable documentation

Minimal viable documentation#

Documentation must exist here for a feature to be considered complete. Features aren’t finished until they’re documented in a way that users can discover and understand them.

We use a simple structure that prioritizes actionable information first, followed by technical details for those who need them.

Documentation template#

(a-myst-label)=
# A short, discoverable page title

A few sentences answering: What does this allow you to do? Why is it useful? When should you use it? Who is it for?

## How it works

A few sentences describing how to use it, and what it looks like when it works. What should you expect to happen as a user?

## Where to learn more

(optional) Links to upstream documentation or product-specific documentation where users can go into more detail.

## Who can access it?

(optional) If this is only available to subsets of communities or users, state which users, roles, or membership/service configurations can use it.

Key principles#

  • Answer value questions first: What, why, when, who - help readers decide if this applies to them

  • Show how to use it: Actionable steps and what to expect

  • Technical details are optional: Add deeper resources only if needed

  • Keep it brief: A few sentences per section is often enough

Based on 2i2c’s Team Compass documentation guidelines.