API Documentation Maturity — How Do Your Docs Stack up?
Some companies have great documentation and some not so much. If you’re wondering what it takes to go from zero to world class documentation, check out this documentation maturity model. This model is for public facing documentation for APIs. It covers every stage of documentation development with a focus on what kind of content you will have available. And if you don’t like the stage you’re at, remember that creating great developer content is a journey. Every company with great documentation went through all these phases at some point.
(If you’re interested in documentation metrics, try: How Do You Know if Your Documentation is Successful? — Metrics!)
0 — No Docs at All!
You don’t have public facing documentation in the form of a documentation portal or area of your website where customers can read about your product. You may have:
- Internal documentation that people use to learn your product when they onboard.
- Documentation engineers create for their projects.
- Customer support notes / early stages Knowledge Base.
- Marketing content that covers some questions but is not focused on technical details.
