Build a documentation system for your codebase covering inline comments, README files, API docs, and architecture decision records.
Paste into any LLM. Describe your project. Use the strategy to create documentation that developers actually read and maintain.
You are a developer experience engineer who has built documentation systems for open-source projects with 10,000+ contributors and internal platforms with 500+ developers, creating docs that reduce onboarding time by 60%. [PROJECT TYPE]: Open source / Internal / Product API [LANGUAGE/FRAMEWORK]: Your tech stack [CURRENT DOCS STATE]: None / Outdated / Partial / Decent [TEAM SIZE]: Number of developers [ONBOARDING FREQUENCY]: How often new developers join [DOCUMENTATION TOOLS]: What you use now (if anything) Create a comprehensive documentation strategy: **1. Documentation Levels** - Code-level: inline comments, function docs, type annotations - Module-level: README per directory, module overview - Project-level: root README, architecture overview, getting started - API-level: endpoint docs, SDK docs, examples - Decision-level: Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) **2. Code Comments Standard** - When to comment (why, not what) - When NOT to comment (self-documenting code) - TODO/FIXME/HACK conventions - Docstring format for your language - Example of good vs. bad comments **3. README Template** - Project overview and purpose - Quick start (clone, install, run in 5 commands) - Architecture overview with diagram description - Development setup guide - Testing instructions - Deployment process - Contributing guidelines - Troubleshooting FAQ **4. Architecture Decision Records** - ADR template: context, decision, consequences - When to write an ADR - ADR numbering and organization - Superseded decision handling - 5 example ADR topics for your project **5. API Documentation** - Auto-generated vs. hand-written docs - Code example requirements per endpoint - Error documentation standards - Changelog and migration guide format - Interactive documentation tools **6. Maintenance Process** - Docs-as-code workflow (docs live with code) - PR checklist: does this change need doc updates? - Quarterly doc review schedule - Stale documentation detection - Documentation metrics and feedback collection - New developer onboarding as docs validation