description: Learn the process of shipping documentation for GitLab.
---
# Documentation process at GitLab
At GitLab, developers contribute new or updated documentation along with their code, but product managers and technical writers also have essential roles in the process.
- Product Managers (PMs): in the issue for all new and updated features,
**Do not** join new features' MRs with refactoring existing docs, as they might have
different priorities.
NOTE: **Note:**
[Smaller MRs are better](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/blog-posts/issues/185#note_4401010)! Do not mix subjects, and ship the smallest MR possible.
### Documentation review process
The docs shipped by the developer should be reviewed by the PM (for accuracy) and a Technical Writer (for clarity and structure).
#### Documentation updates that require Technical Writer review
Every documentation change that meets the criteria below must be reviewed by a Technical Writer
to ensure clarity and discoverability, and avoid redundancy, bad file locations, typos, broken links, etc.
Within the GitLab issue or MR, ping the relevant technical writer for the subject area. If you're not sure who that is,
ping any of them or all of them (`@gl\-docsteam`).
A Technical Writer must review documentation updates that involve:
- Docs introducing new features
- Changing documentation location
- Refactoring existing documentation
- Creating new documentation files
If you need any help to choose the correct place for a doc, discuss a documentation
idea or outline, or request any other help, ping a Technical Writer on your issue, MR,
or on Slack in `#docs`.
#### Skip the PM's review
When there's a non-significant change to the docs, you can skip the review
of the PM. Add the same labels as you would for a regular doc change and
assign the correct milestone. In these cases, assign a Technical Writer
for approval/merge, or mention `@gl\-docsteam` in case you don't know
which Tech Writer to assign for.
#### Skip the entire review
When the MR only contains corrections to the content (typos, grammar,
broken links, etc), it can be merged without the PM's and Tech Writer's review.
## Documentation structure
Read through the [documentation structure](structure.md) docs for an overview.
## Documentation workflow
To follow a consistent workflow every month, documentation changes
involve the Product Managers, the developer who shipped the feature,
and the Technical Writing team. Each role is described below.
### 1. Product Manager's role in the documentation process
The Product Manager (PM) should add to the feature issue:
- Feature name, overview/description, and use cases, for the [documentation blurb](structure.md#documentation-blurb)
- The documentation requirements for the developer working on the docs
- What new page, new subsection of an existing page, or other update to an existing page/subsection is needed.
- Just one page/section/update or multiple (perhaps there's an end user and admin change needing docs, or we need to update a previously recommended workflow, or we want to link the new feature from various places; consider and mention all ways documentation should be affected
- Suggested title of any page or subsection, if applicable
- Label the issue with `Documentation`, `Deliverable`, `docs:P1`, and assign
the correct milestone
### 2. Developer's role in the documentation process
As a developer, or as a community contributor, you should ship the documentation
with the feature, as in GitLab the documentation is part of the product.
The docs can either be shipped along with the MR introducing the code, or,
alternatively, created from a follow-up issue and MR.
The docs should be shipped **by the feature freeze date**. Justified
exceptions are accepted, as long as the [following process](#documentation-shipped-late)
and the missed-deliverable due date (the 14th of each month) are both respected.
#### Documentation shipped in the feature MR
The developer should add to the feature MR the documentation containing:
- The [documentation blurb](structure.md#documentation-blurb): copy the
