Documentation-driven development

Part of my job title is Documentation Manager. When I explain this to a programmer outside the Python/Django community, the reaction can be anything from bewilderment to a kind of mild horror. When I mention it to a Python/Django programmer, the response is usually: Oh, cool. In fact, one secret of Django’s success is the quality of its documentation, and everyone who uses Django is quick to note this.

The returns on Django’s investment have been substantial, but some of them are also surprising. The documentation has clearly been key to the quality of the code itself, but also (less obviously) to the development of Django as a community project, and even the professional development of programmers who adopt Django.

I’ll discuss how Django has achieved it, and how any project can easily win the same benefits.