Let’s be honest. Documentation is boring.
When you are working in IT, you would probably rather spend your time fixing problems, configuring systems, or trying out something new than writing documentation.
I get it. I feel the same way sometimes.
Why I started taking it more seriously
But as the sole IT person where I work, I have started to realise why documentation matters more than I initially thought.
Imagine spending hours troubleshooting an issue, finally getting everything working, and then a few months later the same problem comes back.
Except this time, you have forgotten what you did to fix it. Now you are back to square one.
That is one reason I try to document the work I do and create SOPs wherever practical. I keep those SOPs in SharePoint so they are in one place and available if I am away.
It is not just about keeping records. It is about making sure important IT knowledge does not exist only in my head.
If I am unavailable one day, could someone else follow the instructions to carry out a routine task or understand how a system was configured?
That is the kind of question I try to keep in mind.
One routine I have written up is a simple daily rotating security check. Each day focuses on a different area — for example SharePoint sharing and permissions one day, Intune device status and compliance the next, then Exchange activity — so unusual access or possible data leaks are more likely to be spotted early, without trying to review everything at once.
Key-person dependency
This is also related to something called key-person dependency: when a business relies too heavily on one individual for certain knowledge or processes.
In a one-person IT setup, that risk is easy to underestimate until leave, illness, or a busy week collides with a recurring issue. Written steps will not replace experience, but they reduce the chance that the organisation is stuck waiting for a single memory to come back online.
Of course, documentation is not a magic solution. It needs to be clear, kept up to date, and accessible to the right people. Out-of-date instructions can be worse than none at all if someone follows them confidently.
Takeaway
I am still improving my own documentation habits, but I have learnt that a little effort today could save a lot of troubleshooting tomorrow.
Now, if only documenting everything were as satisfying as fixing the actual problem.
For those working in IT: do you enjoy documentation, or is it also the task you keep putting off until later?
Originally shared on LinkedIn.