Documentation is any form of *recorded content that is used for a specific purpose*, and it is essential in the field of security. Security teams use documentation to *support investigations*, *complete tasks*, and *communicate findings*. The main benefits of documentation are - Transparency - Standardisation - Clarity ### Transparency In security, transparency is critical for demonstrating compliance with regulations and internal processes, meeting insurance requirements, and for legal proceedings. Chain of custody is the process of documenting evidence possession and control during an incident lifecycle. Chain of custody is an example of how documentation produces transparency and an audit trail. ### Standardisation Standardisation through repeatable processes and procedures supports continuous improvement efforts, helps with knowledge transfer, and facilitates the onboarding of new team members. Standards are references that inform how to set policies. You have learned how NIST provides various security frameworks that are used to improve security measures. Likewise, organisations set up their own standards to meet their business needs. An example of documentation that establishes standardisation is an incident response plan, which is a document that outlines the procedures to take in each step of incident response. Incident response plans standardise an organisation’s response process by outlining procedures in advance of an incident. By documenting an organisation’s incident response plan, you create a standard that people follow, maintaining consistency with repeatable processes and procedures. ### Clarity Ideally, all documentation provides clarity to its audience. Clear documentation helps people quickly access the information they need so they can take necessary action. Security analysts are required to document the reasoning behind any action they take so that it’s clear to their team why an alert was escalated or closed.