Single Source of Truth Docs

Single source of truth docs establish one authoritative location for each piece of design system information, eliminating conflicts and confusion from duplicate content. This approach ensures everyone references the same information and updates happen in one place. Single source of truth documentation improves accuracy and reduces maintenance burden.

What Is Single Source of Truth Documentation

Single source of truth documentation means each fact about the design system exists in exactly one canonical location. Token values live in token files. Component APIs are defined in code. Usage guidelines live in designated documentation pages. Other locations reference these sources rather than duplicating content.

Without single source of truth, information proliferates across wikis, design files, code comments, and documentation sites. Updates in one location do not propagate to others, creating conflicting information. Users cannot determine which source to trust, and maintainers must update multiple locations for each change.

How Single Source of Truth Docs Work

Establishing single source of truth requires designating authoritative sources for each information type. Technical specifications derive from code. Design specifications derive from design files. Guidelines derive from designated documentation pages. These designations should be documented so contributors know where to update information.

References replace duplication. Rather than copying token values into documentation, documentation pulls values from token files. Rather than describing component APIs in wikis, wikis link to generated API documentation. This referencing ensures derived content stays synchronized with sources.

Build processes and tooling support single source of truth by generating derived content automatically. Token documentation generates from token files. API documentation generates from code. These processes eliminate manual copying that creates synchronization failures.

Key Considerations

• Designate authoritative sources explicitly for each information type
• Use references and generation rather than copying content between locations
• Migrate existing duplicate content to reference authoritative sources
• Communicate source locations so contributors update the right places

Common Questions

How do teams migrate from scattered documentation to single source of truth?

Migration requires systematic effort. First, inventory existing documentation locations and identify duplicated content. Next, designate authoritative sources for each information type. Then, update authoritative sources to be complete and accurate. Finally, update or remove duplicate content, replacing it with references to authoritative sources. This migration may happen incrementally, prioritizing high-traffic or frequently outdated content. Clear communication helps users find information during transition.

How do teams handle content that spans multiple authoritative sources?

Some documentation naturally combines information from multiple sources. A component page might include API documentation from code, design specifications from design files, and usage guidelines from documentation. These pages aggregate content from multiple sources rather than serving as authoritative sources themselves. Build processes can pull content from designated sources into combined documentation pages. The key is ensuring each piece of information has one authoritative source, even when presentation combines multiple sources.

Summary

Single source of truth documentation eliminates conflicts by establishing one authoritative location for each piece of information. References and generation propagate updates from sources to derived content automatically. Migration from scattered documentation requires systematic effort but significantly improves documentation reliability and maintainability.