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# The engineers who write the documentation first
- URL: https://cobalt.samadesign.dev/the-engineers-who-write-the-documentation-first/
- Published: 2026-10-02T11:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T11:00:00.000Z
- Description: Some software teams refuse to write a line of code until the manual is finished. They ship slower, and break less.
- Author: Ines Varga
- Tags: Technology, #picks, #Import 2026-10-07 01:53

The rule is simple: before anyone writes code, someone writes the page that explains how to use it. If the explanation is confusing, the design is wrong.

The teams we met that work this way are not slower in the long run. They spend fewer weeks fixing misunderstandings, and new colleagues learn the system by reading rather than by asking.

![A monitor showing control software in a dark room](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1784542471032-c6872b560961?auto=format&fit=crop&w=2000&q=80)

Reading the manual before the code exists. Photo by Christian Lue / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=demo&utm%5Fmedium=referral)

It is an old idea, borrowed from engineering disciplines where mistakes are expensive. Software is finally old enough to need it.