IT Myths: Documentation Slows Us Down
The myth
“We’ll document it later… we just need to get this done first.”
For many teams, documentation feels like a chore. A blocker. Something that takes time away from “real work.” But this belief quietly builds risk into every system, every deployment and every decision — until something breaks and nobody remembers why things were built the way they were.
The reality
Documentation doesn’t slow you down. Not having it slows you down. It slows you down when the only person who knows the system is off sick. It slows you down when an incident hits and you’re reverse-engineering decisions from three years ago. It slows you down when onboarding drags because new starters have to “just ask around.”
Good documentation is a multiplier: it removes friction, reduces risk, and gives teams confidence to make changes without fear of breaking things.
Why documentation matters more than teams think
- It reduces single-person dependency. No system should rely on individual memory.
- It speeds up incident resolution. Clear notes mean faster diagnosis.
- It prevents re-learning the same lessons. Teams stop repeating mistakes.
- It improves onboarding. New staff can contribute sooner.
- It keeps systems honest. Documentation reveals complexity you didn’t realise you’d accepted.
What “good enough” documentation actually looks like
Teams avoid documentation because they imagine huge wikis and endless pages of detail. But SMBs don’t need encyclopaedias. They need clarity.
- Purpose: Why does this system exist?
- Ownership: Who looks after it?
- Dependencies: What else does it touch?
- Access: Who can reach it?
- Recovery: How do you fix it if it stops working?
That’s it. Five things. And they solve 80% of real-world issues before they even start.
The fix
- Start small. Pick one system and document only what people really need to know.
- Make it part of the work. Documentation isn’t a separate task — it’s built into the process.
- Keep it close to the work. Use the same tools your team already uses.
- Review it when things change. Not every month — just when something meaningful happens.
- Make ownership clear. Someone is always accountable for keeping documentation alive.
First steps this week
- Create a simple template with the five items above.
- Choose one system — ideally one with “tribal knowledge.”
- Document just enough so someone new could diagnose a basic incident.
Bottom line
Documentation isn’t bureaucracy — it’s insurance, confidence and clarity. Teams don’t lose time by documenting. They lose time by not documenting and paying the price later.
If you want to talk more, I can help. Let’s have a chat.