Are you a DevOps engineer? This is why you need to document everything from day 1.
Documentation skills are crucial for any good DevOps engineer.
The ongoing documentation process carries several goals. First, it improves work processes inside the organization. Second, and most important for your development as a DevOps engineer, you are creating your own database of issues and solutions, hints, technical manuals, etc.
In this article, I will explain why you need to document everything.
Here are some key points about the documentation advantages, from the organization point of view:
- Collaboration: DevOps is inherently a collaborative discipline, involving both development and operations teams.
Good documentation helps bridge the gap between different teams, ensuring that everyone is on the same page, especially when it comes to feature implementation, SW installation, and upgrades.
Clear, detailed documentation is a necessary parameter for any successful project.
Do not agree on anything what is not documented.
- Efficiency: Well-documented systems and processes allow for quicker onboarding of new team members and more efficient handover of tasks. When documentation is clear and accessible, it reduces the time spent on figuring out how existing systems work or deciphering previous work.
I did some side projects for one of the companies that had no documentation at all. Each new employee had to learn for himself how everything worked.
They had to reach out to people who knew the answers to certain questions. As you can imagine, this was not the best way to start the journey in a new place.
- Reliability: In DevOps, the focus is often on automation and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. Documenting these processes ensures that they are repeatable and consistent, which is key to maintaining a stable and reliable IT infrastructure.
Besides, it saves your time as a DevOps engineer. Those who want to learn something about the infrastructure can read the documentation rather than meet in person.
Or, let’s say, you need to do some maintenance or upgrade on a SW you installed a year ago. Imagine how much time you will need to remember what is going on there if you haven’t done any documentation back then.
- Knowledge Preservation: In the fast-paced world of technology, turnover is inevitable. Documentation ensures that the departure of key personnel doesn’t lead to a significant loss of knowledge.
Many people think the more knowledge they retain for themselves, the more indispensable they are to the company. Because “no one knows this except them.”
From my point of view, this is a very wrong approach, from which everyone suffers. In my opinion, the more a person shares, the more valuable he is in the eyes of others. Such a person looks like a professional, an innovator, and a leader.
- Best Practices and Standardization: In the world of DevOps, there are continually evolving best practices. Documentation helps in maintaining a record of these practices and ensures that they are implemented consistently across the organization.
The more you work, the more you find solutions and decisions that are best suited for certain situations in specific setups. These solutions are usually achieved through a lot of trial and error. These decisions must be documented and should be taken as internal best practices.
The most important reason you should document everything from day 1 is your own development as a DevOps engineer.
DevOps engineers with strong documentation skills are often seen as more valuable by employers. These skills demonstrate a level of professionalism and thoroughness that can lead to better job opportunities, promotions, and potentially higher salaries.
Engineers who create clear, concise, and useful documentation are often highly regarded by their peers and management. This reputation can open doors within the professional community, leading to networking opportunities, speaking engagements, or collaborations.
So open a Confluence account, create space for each product you work with, and document everything.
- You need to install a new product? Do it and document the process.
- Have you solved some issue? Document the cause of it and how you solved it.
- Did you find some hints and tips? Some interesting workarounds or shortcuts?
Document it. - Document EVERYTHING. Trust me, you will thank yourself for that.
Imagine how huge your personal documentation database will be in a few years.
The act of documenting processes and systems often leads to a deeper understanding of the work.
It forces you to think through the logic and purpose of your actions, which can solidify your own knowledge and reveal areas for improvement.
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