documentation | requirements, designs, user documentation, instructions for testers and project plans | if it is excessively voluminous, poorly written or not made readily available | just to meet specific deadlines because writing documents then becomes the objective, instead of solving problems | to document decisions and to communicate them to others | all stages of development | as short and succinct as possible | resources if it is never read | 1.8 - The Eight Themes Emphasized in this Book | standards for the company | representation | the information the readers will need, and must be organized in a way so that the readers can find what they need easily | poorly made decisions that are hard to change |