A Practical Guide
This guide will show you how to create and maintain effective documentation for your AI-assisted development project. You'll learn how to manage project context, create specialized documentation, and keep everything organized and up-to-date.
Good documentation is like a map for your project. It helps both you and the AI understand where everything is and how it works together. Think of it as writing notes for your future self and your team.
Start by setting up a clear documentation structure in your project:
your-project/ ├── docs/ │ ├── database.md │ ├── roadmap.md │ ├── components/ │ │ ├── frontend.md │ │ └── backend.md │ └── processes/ │ ├── deployment.md │ └── testing.md
Use this template to document your database structure:
# Database Documentation ## Tables ### Users - Fields: - id: UUID (primary key) - email: STRING (unique) - created_at: TIMESTAMP - Indexes: - email_idx on (email) - Access Policies: - Read: authenticated users - Write: admin only ### Orders [Similar structure for each table...] ## Relationships - Users -> Orders (one-to-many) - Orders -> Products (many-to-many) ## Performance Notes - Indexed queries to check first - Common performance pitfalls - Optimization strategies
Keep track of your project's direction with this template:
# Project Roadmap ## Current Sprint - Feature: User Authentication - Status: In Progress - Deadline: [Date] - Key Challenges: [List any blockers] ## Upcoming Features 1. Shopping Cart Integration - Priority: High - Timeline: Next Sprint - Dependencies: User Auth 2. Payment Processing - Priority: Medium - Timeline: Q2 - Dependencies: Shopping Cart ## Known Issues - List current bugs - Technical debt items - Performance concerns
Every code file should start with this information:
/** * File: src/components/auth/LoginForm.jsx * Purpose: Handles user login form and authentication * Dependencies: * - AuthContext * - ValidationUtils * Last Updated: [Date] */
Use this template for documenting common procedures:
# Process: Deploying to Production ## Prerequisites - All tests passing - Code reviewed - Documentation updated ## Steps 1. Build Application ```bash npm run build ``` 2. Run Final Tests ```bash npm run test:e2e ``` 3. Deploy ```bash npm run deploy:prod ``` ## Verification - Check deployment logs - Verify database migrations - Test critical paths - Monitor error rates ## Rollback Plan If issues occur: 1. Revert to last stable version 2. Run rollback scripts 3. Notify team
Set up regular documentation review cycles and update docs as part of your development process.