Kiraneswaran Engineering Skills Documentation Standards

name: documentation-standards description: Documentation best practices including Markdown formatting, Mermaid diagrams, technical writing, ADRs, and open source standards. Use when writing documentation, README files, markdown content, creating diagrams, or when asking about documentation structure, technical writing, or open source project setup.

Documentation Standards

Core Principles

1. Audience-First: Write for your reader, not yourself
2. Keep Current: Outdated docs are worse than no docs
3. Show, Don't Just Tell: Use examples and diagrams
4. Consistent Format: Follow established patterns

README Structure

# Project Name

Brief description of what this project does.

## Features

- Feature 1
- Feature 2

## Installation

```bash
npm install my-project

Quick Start

import { thing } from 'my-project';
thing.doSomething();

Documentation

Link to full docs.

Contributing

Link to CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT - See LICENSE.

## Markdown Best Practices

### Headers
- Use `#` hierarchy (don't skip levels)
- Keep headers concise
- Use sentence case

### Code Blocks
````markdown
```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")

### Lists
```markdown
- Unordered item
- Another item
  - Nested item

1. Ordered item
2. Another item
```

### Links and References
```markdown
[Link text](https://acme.com)
[Reference link][1]

[1]: https://acme.com
```

### Tables
```markdown
| Header 1 | Header 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   |
```

## Mermaid Diagrams

### Flowchart
```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Action 1]
    B -->|No| D[Action 2]
    C --> E[End]
    D --> E
```

### Sequence Diagram
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant API
    participant DB
    
    User->>API: Request
    API->>DB: Query
    DB-->>API: Result
    API-->>User: Response
```

### Architecture Diagram
```mermaid
graph LR
    subgraph Frontend
        A[React App]
    end
    subgraph Backend
        B[API Gateway]
        C[Service]
    end
    subgraph Data
        D[(Database)]
    end
    
    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D
```

## Technical Writing Tips

1. **Use active voice**: "The function returns a value" not "A value is returned"
2. **Be concise**: Remove unnecessary words
3. **Define acronyms**: Spell out on first use
4. **Use present tense**: "The function adds" not "The function will add"
5. **Include examples**: Show, don't just tell

## Detailed References

- **Markdown & Mermaid**: See [references/markdown-mermaid.md](references/markdown-mermaid.md)
- **Technical Writing**: See [references/technical-writing.md](references/technical-writing.md)
- **Open Source**: See [references/open-source.md](references/open-source.md)


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> Source: [KiranEswaran/engineering-skills](https://github.com/KiranEswaran/engineering-skills) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).
<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-06-16 -->