System Elements Documentation

System Elements – Documentation

Documentation in any situation is important however, documentation in system development is imperative. Most often a very important, and most times overlooked, task is documenting the internal design of software for the purpose of future maintenance and enhancement. A project plan should identify the type and level of documentation personnel must produce during each step or phase of the project. Organizations should maintain detailed documentation for each system in production. Good documentation enhances an organizations ability to understand functionality, security, and control features and may improve its ability to use and maintain the system. Documentation should include detailed descriptions, programming documentation, and operating instructions (FFIEC 1996).

There are two basic types of documentation, system and user documentation. Systems documentation includes information needed for the on-going maintenance and operation of the computer system.