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A complete guide on how technical documentation relates to and derives from specifications
Overview
This collection explains each documentation type in a specification-grounded technical ecosystem. The central insight: specifications are the authoritative source from which all other documentation derives its legitimacy.
Without a specification, documentation describes what is. With a specification, documentation describes what should be—and can be verified against that standard.
The Documentation Layers
Foundation Layer
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Specification | The authoritative source defining requirements, constraints, interfaces, and behaviors |
Implementation Layer
Documents that translate specification requirements into working systems:
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| API Documentation | Programmatic interfaces derived from spec-defined contracts |
| Architecture Docs | System structure designed to fulfill spec requirements |
| Code & Comments | Executable implementation with spec-traced logic |
Integration Layer
Documents that enable components to work together per specification:
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| SDK Guides | Language-specific bindings for spec-defined interfaces |
| Protocol Docs | Wire-level communication contracts |
| Data Schemas | Formal structure definitions for spec-defined data |
Consumer Layer
Documents that help developers use the system within spec boundaries:
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Developer Guides | Task-oriented guidance synthesized from spec-derived sources |
| Tutorials | Hands-on learning within spec constraints |
| Reference Manuals | Comprehensive lookup with spec traceability |
Validation Layer
Documents that verify and evidence specification compliance:
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Test Suites | Executable verification of spec requirements |
| Compliance Checks | Formal conformance evaluation |
| Audit Trails | Evidence of compliance over time |
Community Layer
Documents that govern participation and evolution:
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Contribution Guidelines | How to participate while maintaining compliance |
| RFCs & Proposals | The process for evolving specifications |
| Changelogs | Tracking spec and implementation evolution |
The Dependency Flow
┌─────────────────┐
│ SPECIFICATION │
│ (Foundation) │
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ API │ │ Arch │ │ Code │
│ Docs │ │ Docs │ │ Comments │
└─────┬─────┘ └─────┬─────┘ └─────┬─────┘
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ SDK │ │ Protocol │ │ Data │
│ Guides │ │ Docs │ │ Schemas │
└─────┬─────┘ └─────┬─────┘ └─────┬─────┘
│ │ │
└───────────────────┼───────────────────┘
│
┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ Developer │ │ Tutorials │ │ Reference │
│ Guides │ │ │ │ Manuals │
└───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘
For a more detailed visualization, please see the Specification Dependency Graph
Key Principles
-
Traceability: Every document should reference the specification sections it derives from
-
Single Source of Truth: The specification is the authority; everything else is derivative
-
Cascade Updates: When the spec changes, downstream docs must update
-
Verifiability: Claims about behavior should be testable against the specification
-
Completeness: All spec requirements should be traceable to some documentation
Using This Guide
Each document in this collection explains:
- What the document type is
- How it relates to the specification
- Why that relationship matters
- Best practices for maintaining spec-grounded documentation
Use these as templates for thinking about your own documentation ecosystem. The specific examples use generic placeholder specifications, but the patterns apply to any technically rigorous project.