112 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
112 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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description: How to add docs for new or enhanced GitLab features.
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---
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# Documentation process at GitLab
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At GitLab, developers contribute new or updated documentation along with their code, but product managers and technical writers also have essential roles in the process.
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- **Developers**: Author/update documentation in the same MR as their code, and
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merge it by the feature freeze for the assigned milestone. Request technical writer
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assistance if needed.
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- **Product Managers** (PMs): In the issue for all new and enhanced features,
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confirm the documentation requirements, plus the mentioned feature description
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and use cases, which can be reused in docs. They can bring in a technical
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writer for discussion or help, and can be called upon themselves as a doc reviewer.
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- **Technical Writers**: Review doc requirements in issues, track issues and MRs
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that contain docs changes, help with any questions throughout the authoring/editing process,
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and review all new and updated docs content after it's merged (unless a pre-merge
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review request is made).
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Beyond this process, any member of the GitLab community can also author documentation
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improvements that are not associated with a new or changed feature. See the [Documentation improvement workflow](improvement-workflow.md).
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## When documentation is required
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Documentation must be delivered whenever:
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- A new or enhanced feature is shipped that impacts the user/admin experience
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- There are changes to the UI or API
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- A process, workflow, or previously documented feature is changed
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- A feature is deprecated or removed
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Documentation is not required when a feature is changed on the backend
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only and does not directly affect the way that any user or
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administrator would interact with GitLab. For example, a UI restyling that offers
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no difference in functionality may require documentation updates if screenshots
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are now needed, or need to be updated.
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NOTE: **Note:**
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When revamping documentation, if unrelated to the feature change, this should be submitted
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in its own MR (using the [documentation improvement workflow](improvement-workflow.md))
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so that we can ensure the more time-sensitive doc updates are merged with code by the freeze.
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## Documenting a new or changed feature
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To follow a consistent workflow every month, documentation changes
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involve the Product Managers, the developer who shipped the feature,
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and the Technical Writing team. Each role is described below.
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### 1. Product Manager's role
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The Product Manager (PM) should confirm or add the following items in the issue:
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- New or updated feature name, overview/description, and use cases, all required per the [Documentation structure and template](structure.md).
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- The documentation requirements for the developer working on the docs.
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- What new page, new subsection of an existing page, or other update to an existing page/subsection is needed.
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- Just one page/section/update or multiple (perhaps there's an end user and admin change needing docs, or we need to update a previously recommended workflow, or we want to link the new feature from various places; consider and mention all ways documentation should be affected.
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- Suggested title of any page or subsection, if applicable.
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- Label the issue with `Documentation` and `docs:P1` in addition to the `Deliverable` label and correct milestone.
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Anyone is welcome to draft the items above in the issue, but a product manager must review and update them whenever the issue is assigned a specific milestone.
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### 2. Developer's role
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As a developer, you must ship the documentation with the code of the feature that
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you are creating or updating. The documentation is an essential part of the product.
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- New and edited docs should be included in the MR introducing the code, and planned
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in the issue that proposed the feature. However, if the new or changed doc requires
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extensive collaboration or conversation, a separate, linked issue can be used for the planning process.
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- Use the [Documentation guidelines](index.md), as well as other resources linked from there,
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including the [Structure and template](structure.md) page, [Style Guide](styleguide.md), and [Markdown Guide](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/technical-writing/markdown-guide/).
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- If you need any help to choose the correct place for a doc, discuss a documentation
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idea or outline, or request any other help, ping the Technical Writer for the relevant
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[DevOps stage](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/#devops-stages)
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in your issue or MR, or write within `#docs` on the GitLab Slack.
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- The docs must be merged with the code **by the feature freeze date**, otherwise
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- the feature cannot be included with the release.<!-- TODO: Policy/process for feature-flagged issues -->
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Prior to merge, documentation changes commited by the developer must be reviewed by:
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* the person reviewing the code and merging the MR.
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* optionally: others involved in the work (such as other devs, the PM, or a technical writer), if requested.
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After merging, documentation changing are reviewed by:
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* a technical writer (for clarity, structure, grammar, etc).
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* optionally: by the PM (for accuracy and to ensure it's consistent with the vision for how the product will be used).
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Any party can raise the item to the PM for review at any point: the dev, the technical writer, or the PM, who can request/plan a review at the outset.
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### 3. Technical Writer's role
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**Planning**
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- Once an issue contains a Documentation label and an upcoming milestone, a
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technical writer reviews the listed documentation requirements, which should have
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already been reviewed by the PM. (These are non-blocking reviews; developers should
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not wait to work on docs.)
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- Monitor the documentation needs of issues assigned to the current and next milestone,
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and participate in any needed discussion on docs planning with the dev, PM, and others.
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**Review**
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- Techncial writers provide non-blocking reviews of all documentation changes,
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typically after the change is merged. However, if the docs are ready in the MR while
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we are awaiting other work in order to merge, the technical writer's review can commence early.
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- The technical writer will confirm that the doc is clear, grammatically correct,
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and discoverable, while avoiding redundancy, bad file locations, typos, broken links,
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etc. The technical writer will review the documentation for the following, which
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the developer and code reviewer should have already made a good-faith effort to ensure:
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- Clarity.
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- Relevance (make sure the content is appropriate given the impact of the feature).
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- Location (make sure the doc is in the correct dir and has the correct name).
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- Syntax, typos, and broken links.
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- Improvements to the content.
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- Accordance to the [Documentation Style Guide](styleguide.md) and [structure/template](structure.md).
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