Documentation in IT: a success factor
Ping! – “Update documentation” – a quick glance at the to-do list, a sigh, a thought: Again? Yes, again. And that’s a good thing.
Our colleagues at PROTOS juggle complex customer projects, deadlines, spontaneous requests and meetings on a daily basis. In this hustle and bustle, maintaining project documentation often seems like an additional burden – a task that quietly creeps into the shadows of other to-dos. But we have learned to place it exactly where it belongs: at the heart of our project work.
Why documentation is key
Good IT documentation is not an annoying accessory – it is the basis for scalability, efficiency and quality. It enables smooth handovers, creates transparency within the team and forms the bridge between specialist departments, customers and technical implementers.
It answers questions such as:
- Who did what when – and why?
- What decisions were made – and on what basis?
- Where are we now – and what should we do next?
Projects can only grow in a structured manner if these questions are documented and answered in a comprehensible form.
„Uncertainty arises without documentation – trust arises with it“, sums up Dalia El-Hawari, IT Cloud Consultant and Project Manager at PROTOS.
„Work becomes measurable, tasks can be planned and success can be repeated. Standards are described, made controllable and practiced. In short: documentation is the foundation of modern, data-driven organizations.“
It gets expensive if it’s missing
What happens if the documentation is missing or inadequate? Then projects become a black box:
- Work is done twice or not at all.
- Quality fluctuates – often unnoticed.
- New employees take longer to learn the job.
- Knowledge is lost when employees leave.
- Handovers and delegations don’t work.
- Silos develop, including bottlenecks.
The result? Frustration in the team and with the customer, high staff turnover, missed targets – and ultimately: rising costs, loss of time and quality & safety risks.
Why is good documentation so hard to do?
Despite all the advantages, many companies find it difficult to systematically embed documentation. This is often due to a simple but widespread misconception: documentation is “not urgent” and can be done “later”. The worst assumption is that documentation is an expense that the customer does not pay for.
What’s more:
- It requires coordination between creators and consumers.
- The effect of poor documentation is often delayed.
- There is a lack of clear structures and responsibilities.
- Documentation is rarely rewarded, often ignored.
Yet it is not an end in itself – but a lever for better collaboration, quality, innovation and a sustainably successful customer relationship.
How good documentation is achieved
So what makes a good documentary? It’s not so much the whether, but the how. Good documentation follows a clear standard, is easily accessible, up-to-date, structured – and is practiced on a daily basis.
Success factors for good documentation:
- Structure & clarity: templates, structure, reusability
- Culture: Documentation as part of the project’s success, not as a compulsory exercise
- Responsibility: Documentation is a team task – but with clear responsibilities
- Regularity: reminders and rituals to anchor maintenance
- Tools & integration: documentation where work is done
- Methodology: follow the principles of ARC42 technical documentation
At PROTOS, for example, we rely on a Confluence template for customer projects, which makes it much easier to get started with documentation.
„This means we don’t start from scratch, but use tried-and-tested structures – directly during ongoing project operations. Regular reminders, such as a monthly ping, ensure that the documentation does not get lost in the stress of everyday life“, says Dalia El-Hawari.
Tools & practical examples
Digitalization provides us at PROTOS with numerous tools to efficiently implement and even automate documentation. An overview:
- Jira & Confluence: Task and knowledge management are combined, making them transparent and searchable.
- Miro: Brainstorming together, structuring thoughts and collaboratively documenting visual processes.
- Camunda (BPMN): Processes are documented in a structured and executable way.
- Automation & AI: Tools such as GPT-supported summaries or auto-generated meeting transcripts save a lot of manual paperwork.
Traditional approaches such as JavaDocs or Markdown documentation also have their place – as long as they are maintained and anchored in the work process.
Think of the users!
During the introduction of new tools and processes, documentation is very important and has a direct influence on how well they are received by users. Many projects fail, not least because of poor descriptions of processes or a lack of knowledge about the location or lack of knowledge for making the documentation usable.
It should certainly be noted here that documentation can become quite complex and is also written by different actors for different audiences.
Key examples:
- Software manufacturer to manager
- Software manufacturer to management (administration)
- Software manufacturer to user
- Operational management to manager
- Operations management to user
This transit service from the projects to the line is an integral part of the way our colleagues work.
Conclusion: The underestimated lever
Good documentation not only creates order – it increases security, transparency and scalability:
- Creates more security because processes are traceable and fewer errors occur.
- Reduces time expenditure because redundant work is avoided and knowledge is available more quickly.
- Reduces costs because quality increases and training is faster.
- Motivates people because employees can orient themselves and their work has an impact.
In a world in which IT projects are becoming ever faster, more complex and more networked, good documentation is no longer a “nice-to-have” – it is the silent hero of sustainable IT transformation. The next step is to use the solution productively and roll it out to other processes – for example in the areas of maintenance, incident management or customer service.
Andreas Sass, Managing Partner at PROTOS: „For us, good IT documentation is not an annoying extra expense, but a promise to our customers. It creates the basis for long-term and genuine partnerships – especially for release changes, system updates or new projects. At the same time, it makes it possible to integrate new partners quickly. Documentation is a cultural value for us – it ensures continuity, trust and sustainability.“
