How do you approach documenting your work for other team members?

Understand the Audience and Purpose:

• Who is it for? (e.g., fellow developers, QA testers, product managers, support staff, future self). This dictates the level of technical detail.
• What do they need to know? (e.g., how to set it up, how it works, how to troubleshoot, how to extend it, why certain decisions were made).
• Why am I documenting this? (e.g., onboarding new team members, transferring ownership, setting up a knowledge base, explaining a complex feature).

Choose the Right Medium/Location:

• Code Comments: For explaining complex logic, non-obvious choices, or specific algorithm details within the code itself.
• README Files (for repositories): Essential for project setup, quick-start guides, basic architectural overview, and core functionality.
• Wiki/Confluence/Internal Knowledge Base: For broader architectural diagrams, design decisions, feature overviews, team-specific conventions, troubleshooting guides, and meeting notes.
• Design Documents/Proposals: For upfront planning, technical specifications, and outlining major architectural changes.
• Task Management Tools (Jira, Trello, Asana): For documenting progress, decisions related to specific tasks, and links to more detailed documentation.
• Version Control (Git Commit Messages): For concise explanations of why a particular change was made in a specific commit.

Start with a High-Level Overview:

• Executive Summary/Purpose: Begin with a brief, clear statement of what the system/feature/code does and why it exists.
• Problem Solved: What challenge does this work address?
• Key Components/Architecture: A high-level diagram or description of the main parts and how they interact. This provides immediate context.