- Format: we don't dictate format on docs. In terms of sharing important information, it's irrelevant. Dealer's choice.
- Audience: we are writing documents that are internal to our team, but also for consumption by other groups. Audience is engineering-focused.
- Consumption: we refer to documents as a way of learning all the things before asking uninformed questions to team members. RTFM is an expectation in my groups.
> instead of answering their very reasonable and pertinent questions you instead accuse them of being either incompetent or lazy.
These expectations aren't random; they are well-known, part of project deliverables, and non-negotiable. Existing projects show the quality of what's been produced in the past, to help with an understanding for anyone documenting what they've built and want us to depend on in production. After that, we definitely help those who still require help, but this isn't a surprise.