Before you start

Your first change should be small, real and low risk.

Your team lead or onboarding buddy will give you a first task, usually a documentation fix, a small bug or a configuration tidy-up. Follow that task and your team's confirmed practices rather than the sample below if the two differ.

Check you have these before you begin:

  • A task with a named requester you can ask questions
  • Access to the code or configuration the task touches
  • An onboarding buddy who has agreed to review your change

From task to review

Sample procedure. Tool names and commands depend on your team's setup.

  1. 1

    Read the task and restate it

    Write one sentence saying what will be different when you are finished. Send it to the requester to confirm.

  2. 2

    Find the relevant docs

    Look up the area you are changing before you edit it. Start on the Where Docs Live page.

  3. 3

    Make the change on its own branch

    Keep it to one purpose. If you find a second problem, write it down as a separate task.

  4. 4

    Run the checks

    Run the team's automated checks and fix anything that fails. Do not ask for review on a red build.

  5. 5

    Write the description

    State what changed, why, and how you tested it. Add a screenshot or output if it helps the reviewer.

  6. 6

    Request review and respond

    Ask your buddy to review. Reply to every comment, make the edits or explain your reasoning, and re-request review.

Keep the docs open while you work

Find the right source

Check its owner

Update what you changed

Authoritative references for your change are listed on the Where Docs Live page.