Foundations of Practice: An Ethnographic Exploration of Software Documentation and its Cultural Implications for an Agile Startup

This case study offers an in‐depth analysis of the foundational role of documentation for software quality, efficiency, and organizational success. It includes an inside look how a start‐up overcame inefficiencies and scaling challenges by implementing a sociotechnical documentation practice, and 10 recommendations for implementation or assessment based the case study data and a wider analysis of research and expertise. Time pressures of agile workflows that prioritize writing code, coupled with rapidly scaling software and startups, create an environment where documentation often takes a back seat. But its value to organizations and engineering teams as a source of knowledge and a practice of knowledge sharing becomes clear when critical inefficiencies and even chaos to prompt an overhaul of norms and behaviors. The experience at Remesh demonstrates the value of an ethnographic approach to gain a holistic understanding of engineering and work practices and to implement positive change.