Development Guide

Provide documentation to quickly on-board developers, so that they can begin contributing code and introducing changes into the deployment pipeline.

Setup

Include step-by-step instructions for cloning the code, setting up the product, getting access, and verifying the environment is working correctly.

Code Standards

Document the coding standards, including code styles and how to run and setup any linting or formatting tools necessary to adhere to the code style.

Tabs Versus Spaces

A lot of time can be spent debating code style, but don't let perfection prevent progress. Choose a style and just use it. Where possible, adopt community best-practices like airbnb's JavaScript eslint config or Python's PEP-8. If the language provides a canonical formatting tool, like go fmt or terraform fmt, use that.

Describe the use of version control and any branching or merging strategies or naming conventions to meet the code standards.

Code Reviews

Outline the code review process and what the expectations for a good code review are. Detail how to provide and respond to feedback. If pull requests are used, document how to create and close them.

Testing

Document the frameworks being used for unit, integration, and end-to-end (e2e) testing and how to run the tests. Include any metrics being tracked, like code coverage, and how to file a bug when one is found. Proper testing helps ensure a quality product and creates a "safety net" when refactoring.

Deployment Pipeline

Describe the build system and deployment process, including descriptions and links to the different environments and build machines. Provide information for troubleshooting and debugging failed builds so a developer can quickly get the build back in the "green."