Treat Code Like Code; Treat Prose Like Prose

Join us for a Coffee and Content chat with Tom Johnson about what it means to "treat code like code and prose like prose." In the docs-as-code tools space, a popular method for reviewing docs is to review docs using the same code review tools that software engineers use to review code. Code review tools cater to engineering workflows and preferences, for sure. If you want an engineer to review a change in your docs, it makes sense to use the same review method the engineer is accustomed to using for reviewing code. However, good docs require input from people outside of engineering roles. Product managers, field engineers, quality assurance, support engineers, legal advisors, UX, and other stakeholders also need to review docs. A review process that excludes these non-engineering roles can be problematic, especially since these other roles often serve as a check and balance against the features engineering teams create. Sometimes it's better to treat docs more like prose instead of code.