SDLC Documentation: What Is It?

kimgullion
Jul 8
2 min read

Writer Resource Technical Writers creating Software Documentation, SDLC

If you’ve ever worked on a software development project, you probably already know... a lot of people are doing a lot of things at once. Planning, coding, testing, deploying, fixing bugs, moving fast... then circling back to fix the thing that broke when you moved too fast.

And in all that motion, documentation often ends up in a shared drive called “TO_SORT_LATER”.

But documentation isn’t just a checkbox on the project plan—it’s what keeps teams aligned, users happy, and new hires from asking the same questions over and over.

What is SDLC Documentation?

SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle, and documentation exists at every stage of that process. It’s the written record of:

What you're building
How you're building it
Why you're building it
And how someone else can understand, use, or maintain it later

Here’s a look at the types of documents that show up in each stage:

SDLC Phase	Typical Documents
Planning	Business requirements, stakeholder summaries
Analysis	Functional specs, user stories, data flow diagrams
Design	System architecture, wireframes, tech stack docs
Development	Code comments, developer guides, API references
Testing	Test plans, test cases, QA process notes
Deployment	Release notes, installation guides
Maintenance	Troubleshooting docs, knowledge base articles

A Technical Writer creating software development life cycle documentation content.

Where a Technical Writer Fits Into the SDLC

Technical writers aren’t just handed a product at the end and told, “Hey, write a manual!” (Well… sometimes they are, but it’s not ideal.)

The best documentation happens when writers are involved from the beginning—collaborating with developers, PMs, QA, and UX. Writers help gather requirements, capture decisions as they’re made, and translate technical details into content.

Here’s what that collaboration can look like across the SDLC:

Phase	How a Tech Writer Helps
Planning	Documents stakeholder input, clarifies business goals
Analysis	Helps define terms, document use cases, and align on language
Design	Creates diagrams, outlines systems, preps for user documentation
Development	Builds internal docs, drafts API content, tracks changes
Testing	Writes test summaries, helps document known issues
Deployment	Crafts release notes, onboarding guides, install docs
Maintenance	Updates help content, creates FAQs, supports support teams

Technical Writers capture knowledge, keeping it organized, and making sure it doesn’t disappear when someone goes on vacation (or leaves the company entirely).

Why should you use a technical writer for your software documentation?

So… Why Hire a Technical Writer?

Because writing great documentation takes skill.

If your project has a lot of moving parts (and let’s be real—it likely does), then documentation isn’t a side quest. It’s part of the core build. Whether you're launching an app, rolling out an internal system, or updating an existing tool, having clear, well-written documentation at each stage of the SDLC will save you time, stress, and probably a few 9 p.m. Slack messages.

Developer-written Docs	Technical Writer-written Docs
Full of great info, but scattered or complex	Structured, organized, easy to follow
Written for other devs	Written for whoever needs it (users, PMs, QA, etc.)
Often out-of-date	Maintained and version-controlled
Uses internal jargon	Uses clear, consistent, user-friendly language