Enterprise technical documentation framework — 27 rules, 11 references, 6 pluggable style guides. Content architecture, writing standards, information architecture, DX strategy, documentation audit, anti-patterns checklist.
A comprehensive framework for writing, planning, auditing, and improving technical documentation for products that need developer and partner adoption. Synthesizes six proven frameworks:
- Diataxis — Content architecture (tutorials, how-to guides, reference, explanation)
- Google OpenDocs — Project archetypes, maturity assessment, audit methodology
- Good Docs Project — Content type templates with writing guides
- Google Style Guide — Language, tone, and formatting standards
- Stripe DX Patterns — Outcome-oriented docs, developer journey design
- Canonical Practice — Documentation as engineering discipline
- 27 rules across 7 categories: content architecture, writing style, information architecture, DX, audit, governance, partner ecosystem
- 14 content types with detailed writing guidance: tutorial, quickstart, how-to, integration guide, migration guide, troubleshooting, API reference, SDK reference, config reference, changelog, explanation, architecture guide, glossary, runbook
- 6 pluggable style guides: Diataxis (default), Google, Microsoft, Stripe, Canonical, Minimal
- Anti-patterns checklist — consolidated documentation smells for review
- Ready-to-use templates for every content type
- Documentation maturity model (Seeds → Foundation → Integration → Excellence)
- Adoption funnel for prioritizing documentation work
diataxis-docs-framework/
├── SKILL.md — Quick reference, rule summaries, decision trees
├── AGENTS.md — Complete compiled guide with all rules expanded
├── references/
│ ├── content-types.md — 14 content types: purpose, structure, principles
│ ├── templates.md — Copy-paste skeletons for every content type
│ ├── style-guide.md — Formatting, code examples, accessibility
│ ├── anti-patterns.md — Documentation smells and review checklist
│ ├── enterprise-patterns.md — IA, docs-as-code, versioning, governance, metrics
│ └── styles/
│ ├── diataxis.md — Default: per-quadrant voice and tone
│ ├── google.md — Google Developer Docs conventions
│ ├── microsoft.md — Microsoft Writing Style Guide conventions
│ ├── stripe.md — Stripe DX-first documentation patterns
│ ├── canonical.md — Canonical engineering discipline approach
│ └── minimal.md — MVP docs for startups and internal tools
└── rules/ — 27 individual rule files
├── write-*.md — Content architecture (6 rules, CRITICAL)
├── style-*.md — Writing style (6 rules, CRITICAL)
├── arch-*.md — Information architecture (4 rules, HIGH)
├── dx-*.md — Developer experience (3 rules, HIGH)
├── audit-*.md — Documentation audit (3 rules, MEDIUM)
├── gov-*.md — Governance & lifecycle (3 rules, MEDIUM)
└── partner-*.md — Partner & ecosystem (2 rules, MEDIUM)
| Framework | What It Provides | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Diataxis | Content architecture — the four quadrants | diataxis.fr |
| Google OpenDocs | Project archetypes, maturity, audit | github.com/google/opendocs |
| Good Docs Project | Templates and writing guides | thegooddocsproject.dev |
| Google Style Guide | Language and formatting standards | developers.google.com/style |
| Stripe Docs | DX-first documentation patterns | docs.stripe.com |
| Canonical | Documentation as engineering practice | canonical.com/documentation |
This framework synthesizes and builds upon six established documentation methodologies. The original frameworks, their authors, and licenses:
| Framework | Author / Maintainer | License | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diataxis | Daniele Procida | CC BY-SA 4.0 | diataxis.fr |
| Google OpenDocs | Google LLC | Apache 2.0 | github.com/google/opendocs |
| Good Docs Project | The Good Docs Project contributors | CC BY 4.0 | thegooddocsproject.dev |
| Google Developer Documentation Style Guide | Google LLC | CC BY 4.0 | developers.google.com/style |
| Stripe Documentation Patterns | Stripe, Inc. | Patterns observed from public documentation | docs.stripe.com |
| Canonical Documentation Practice | Canonical Ltd. | Public methodology | canonical.com/documentation |
The rules, examples, anti-patterns, and templates in this framework are original work that applies and extends the principles from these sources. No content is copied verbatim from the source frameworks.
Anivar Aravind — anivar.net
MIT — see LICENSE for details.
Note: While this framework itself is MIT-licensed, the underlying methodologies have their own licenses (listed above). If you redistribute portions that closely follow a specific framework's structure, respect that framework's license terms.