Documentation Co-Creation

Overview

Documentation Co-Creation uses AI as a collaborative partner in creating and maintaining project documentation. By analyzing code, commit history, and existing docs, AI can generate initial drafts, identify documentation gaps, and keep docs synchronized with code changes.

Problem

Documentation is often neglected or becomes outdated: - Writing docs competes with feature development time - Documentation drifts from actual implementation - Onboarding new team members is slow without good docs - API documentation is tedious to write and maintain

Solution

Integrate AI into your documentation workflow to: - Generate initial documentation from code analysis - Identify undocumented functions and components - Update docs when code changes - Create different doc formats for different audiences AI handles the mechanical aspects while humans ensure accuracy and add domain context.

Implementation

Code Examples

/**
 * Calculates the total price including tax and discounts.
 *
 * @param items - Array of cart items with quantity and unit price
 * @param taxRate - Tax rate as a decimal (e.g., 0.08 for 8%)
 * @param discount - Optional discount to apply before tax
 * @returns The final price rounded to 2 decimal places
 *
 * @example
 * const total = calculateTotal(
 *   [{ quantity: 2, unitPrice: 10 }],
 *   0.08,
 *   { type: 'percentage', value: 10 }
 * );
 * // Returns: 19.44 (20 - 10% = 18, 18 * 1.08 = 19.44)
 *
 * @throws {InvalidInputError} If items array is empty
 * @throws {InvalidInputError} If tax rate is negative
 */
export function calculateTotal(
  items: CartItem[],
  taxRate: number,
  discount?: Discount
): number {
  // Implementation
}

Best Practices

• Use AI for first drafts, then add domain-specific context
• Establish documentation standards before AI generation
• Include examples in documentation requests
• Set up automated checks for documentation freshness
• Create documentation templates for AI to follow

Considerations