From decentralized Docs-as-Code to a centralized repository: Evolving Grab's documentation strategy

Introduction: The journey of documentation at Grab

Introduction: The journey of documentation at Grab

In early 2021, Grab adopted a Docs-as-Code approach to address gaps in our technical documentation processes, as illustrated in our blog post Embracing a Docs-as-Code. Inspired by the practices of other market leaders, we integrated documentation into our engineers’ workflows, making it part of the codebase.

In early 2021, Grab adopted a Docs-as-Code approach to address gaps in our technical documentation processes, as illustrated in our blog post Embracing a Docs-as-Code. Inspired by the practices of other market leaders, we integrated documentation into our engineers’ workflows, making it part of the codebase.

This approach addressed our initial documentation challenges by creating a single source of truth for engineers to search and build knowledge, making documentation upkeep necessary and less of an afterthought. After four years of use, we transitioned to a centralized documentation repository. This change was not about abandoning Docs-as-Code but adapting it to meet new and growing organizational needs.

This approach addressed our initial documentation challenges by creating a single source of truth for engineers to search and build knowledge, making documentation upkeep necessary and less of an afterthought. After four years of use, we transitioned to a centralized documentation repository. This change was not about abandoning Docs-as-Code but adapting it to meet new and growing organizational needs.

This post walks through the motivations, benefits, and lessons from each phase of this journey, showing how our documentation strategy evolved.

This post walks through the motivations, benefits, and lessons from each phase of this journey, showing how our documentation strategy evolved.

What is Docs-as-Code?

What is Docs-as-Code?

Docs-as-Code is an approach that manages documentation with the same tools and workflows engineers use for source code. Content is written in plain-text Markdown, which is easy to edit...