Software documentation practice Which statement is NOT true about documentation for information systems projects?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Documentation increases the maintenance time and cost.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Documentation covers requirements, designs, code comments, operating procedures, and user guides. Good documentation improves maintainability, reduces onboarding time, and mitigates risk when staff changes occur. This item asks you to identify the statement that is not true.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Quality documentation should be clear and direct.
  • Documentation helps stakeholders understand the problem and solution.
  • Maintenance cost is a major lifecycle concern.


Concept / Approach:

Maintenance dominates total cost of ownership in most systems. Clear specifications and records reduce defects, speed debugging, and assist change management. Therefore documentation tends to reduce, not increase, maintenance time and cost when performed at an appropriate level and kept up to date.



Step-by-Step Solution:

Evaluate option a: best practice recommends clarity and directness; this is true.Evaluate option c: better understanding is a primary goal of documentation; this is true.Option b claims documentation increases maintenance time and cost; in general practice the opposite is true, so b is not true.Therefore select option b as the statement that is not true.


Verification / Alternative check:

Industry studies show that structured documentation and traceability reduce rework and defect leakage, supporting the conclusion that maintenance effort decreases when documentation quality is high.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

a and c describe benefits of documentation. d cannot be correct because not all statements are true. e is incorrect because one statement is indeed not true.



Common Pitfalls:

Confusing poor or outdated documents with the concept of documentation itself; over documenting trivial details, which can create noise. The remedy is right sizing and continuous updates.



Final Answer:

Documentation increases the maintenance time and cost.

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