Minimal Viable Documentation Standard

A Minimal Viable Documentation Standard is a documentation quality standard that defines the smallest documentation set that enables effective software development and maintenance.

• AKA: MVD Standard, Lean Documentation Standard, Essential Documentation Guideline.
• Context:
  • It can typically identify Documentation Essentials through minimal viable documentation standard value analysis.
  • It can typically eliminate Documentation Overhead via minimal viable documentation standard reduction.
  • It can typically prioritize Documentation Artifacts using minimal viable documentation standard impact scores.
  • It can often balance Documentation Completeness with minimal viable documentation standard agility.
  • It can often adapt Documentation Requirements to minimal viable documentation standard context.
  • ...
  • It can range from being an Ultra-Minimal Viable Documentation Standard to being a Moderate Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, depending on its minimal viable documentation standard stringency.
  • It can range from being a Generic Minimal Viable Documentation Standard to being a Domain-Specific Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, depending on its minimal viable documentation standard specialization.
  • It can range from being a Fixed Minimal Viable Documentation Standard to being an Adaptive Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, depending on its minimal viable documentation standard flexibility.
  • It can range from being a Internal-Focused Minimal Viable Documentation Standard to being an External-Focused Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, depending on its minimal viable documentation standard audience.
  • ...
  • It can maximize Documentation ROI through minimal viable documentation standard value concentration.
  • It can accelerate Time-to-Productivity via minimal viable documentation standard clarity.
  • It can enhance Team Innovation using minimal viable documentation standard cognitive load reduction.
  • It can amplify Decision Speed through minimal viable documentation standard signal-to-noise ratio.
  • It can increase Documentation Utilization Rate via minimal viable documentation standard relevance.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • README-First Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, requiring only README file with setup instructions and API examples.
  • Decision Record Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, capturing only architectural decision records and trade-off rationale.
  • Contract Test Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, documenting through executable contract tests and integration examples.
  • Microservice Minimal Viable Documentation Standard, mandating service contract, health endpoint, and deployment guide.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Comprehensive Documentation Standard, which requires complete documentation rather than minimal viable documentation standard.
  • IEEE Documentation Standard, which mandates formal documents rather than minimal viable documentation standard.
  • Regulatory Documentation Standard, which enforces compliance artifacts rather than minimal viable documentation standard.
• See: Documentation Quality Standard, Documentation Quality Target, Agile Documentation Principle, Documentation Completeness Measure, Minimal Viable Product, Documentation Management Domain, Lean Documentation.

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