Qualities of Relevant Software Documentation: An Industrial Study

This paper highlights the results of a survey of software professional conducted in March and April, 2002. The results are compiled from 48 software professionals ranging from junior developers to managers and project leaders. One of the goals of this survey was to uncover the perceived relevance (or lack thereof) of software documentation, and the tools and technologies used to maintain, verify and validate such documents. Another goal was to uncover how software documentation is used in industry and the extent to which, and under what circumstances, documentation can be effective. The data suggest somewhat conflicting views of the importance of documentation maintenance. In particular, participants responded that not-so-up-to-date documents could still be an effective resource. Conversely, the extent to which a document is up-to-date was selected as one of the most important factors in determining its effectiveness. The results suggest that the software industry and academia may overemphasize the importance of document maintenance relative to a software professional’s tolerance of out-dated content. 1