The importance of documentation during the software development process

IMPORTANCE OF DOCUMENTATION DURING THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Name: Course: Instructor`s Name: Date: Importance of Documentation during Software Development Process Introduction Software documentation is done during development of software and its upgrades. Software documentation is meant to inform the third party apart from the developer on the use and application of the software to be able to understand it. The third person might be in need to understand the software either for the purpose of knowing how to use it or upgrade / integrate it with other software`s. There are different types of software documentations and each of it has its importance. According to Punter, (1988) the most documentations which are done are Requirements documentations, Design/Architecture Design, Technical, Marketing and End User Documentations. Importances Software documentations is part of software development cycle and a software would not be termed as complete until its documentations have been done up to standards. Software documentation is the visible part of the software and if it is not done or it done without considering the standards required. Such software could not be maintained, nor would users be able to be trained on how to use it as well. Software`s without proper documentation would be difficult for developers to maintain it. A lot of time would also be used reinventing the wheel and trying to understand how the software operates so that they can improve it or integrate it with other software`s (Paull, 2011). Software documentation does benefit both the developers and users and it should be always included in software development. Software documentation for users User manuals would contain where necessary, sources codes and their meaning as well as error code depending on the type of the error. Software`s are only successful if they have been documented successfully. Therefore, use of end-user manual or documentation is meant to meet the needs of the users by training them on how to use the software`s. This reduces on the time spent on software implementation and increases on its effectiveness and user acceptance. This is because they are skilled on how to use the software and they can train other users on how to use the software. The user documentation serves as the system administrator guide with details on how to maintain and operate. Hence, without an effective user documentation even a skilled software administrator would not be able administer the software as it is expected to be. Software Documentation for Developers The documentation which is done to be used by developers is also known as technical manuals which facilitate servicing and operation of the software. All modules in software should be documented properly as they form part of the software as developers come and go. Hence, the documentation should inform other developers how the software was developed. Therefore, software documentation should be done a must for all modules for safety keeping so that the company can improve ...