Skip to main content
Also known as: docs, internal docs, technical documentation

Documentation

FoundationalOperations

Definition

Documentation: Documentation is written material that records processes, decisions, technical systems, and institutional knowledge. Good documentation enables asynchronous work, faster onboarding, and organizational memory. Documentation cultureā€”where writing things down is the defaultā€”is more important than any specific tool.

Example Usage

ā€œOur 'document by default' culture means every decision, process, and project has written context. Onboarding time dropped 50%.ā€

Common Misconceptions

Documentation slows you down. Initial investment pays off in reduced meetings, faster onboarding, and fewer repeated questions.
Engineers should just read the code. Business context, architectural decisions, and 'why' need separate documentation.
Perfect docs or none. Imperfect documentation is infinitely better than tribal knowledge locked in heads.

Explore More Resources

Browse Tools

Discover 100+ vetted tools for every stage of your startup journey

Explore all tools

Build Your Stack

Take our personalized quiz to get tool recommendations for your startup

Start the checklist

Recommended Reading

Curated books to help you learn, grow, and succeed as a founder

View book recommendations

Listen & Learn

Top podcasts covering startups, product, growth, and entrepreneurship

Discover podcasts

Help us improve this definition

See something that could be clearer or more accurate? Let us know.

Help us improve this page

Found an error or have a suggestion? We'd love to hear from you.