The documentation nobody maintains
Step 4 references a server that was decommissioned eight months ago.
Documentation rot is inevitable. Systems change, processes evolve, and nobody updates the runbook. Then a new engineer follows the outdated steps during an incident and makes things worse. The documentation that was supposed to help becomes the thing that hurts.
The scenario:
You need a process for keeping documentation current without creating a full-time job for someone.
The prompt:
You're creating a documentation maintenance process.
Build a lightweight system that includes:
- Ownership model (who's responsible for what)
- Review triggers (time-based + event-based)
- Version control and change tracking
- "Last verified" dates visible on every doc
- Quarterly audit checklist
- Retirement process for obsolete docs
Make it simple enough that busy engineers will actually follow it.