Design Docs at Google

I read a great article titled Design Docs at Google that discusses how design documents are structured and used across engineering teams at Google. There are a lot of insightful takeaways here on effective engineering documentation and reviews.

A specific highlight I found interesting:

When Google engineers get confronted with a system that they hadn’t previously touched their first question often is “Where is the design doc?”. While design docs, like all documentation, tend to get out of sync with reality over time, they still often present the most accessible entry point to learn about the thinking that guided the creation of the system.

And another crucial reminder on where to focus design documentation efforts:

The design doc is the place to write down the trade-offs you made in designing your software. Focus on those trade-offs to produce a useful document with long-term value.