docs-standards

To enforce Microsoft Style Guide rules for technical writing, apply automated checks that validate sentence-case headings, active voice, second-person perspective, and present tense. This ensures consistent documentation style and reduces editorial review cycles across project guides.

Auditing documentation for scannability and style compliance involves reviewing pages against established conventions like sentence-case headings, active voice, and the canonical page layout. This process identifies style violations and maps edits to improve user comprehension and discoverability.

To structure feature documentation for scannability, use a canonical page layout: Title, Warning, Try this prompt, Overview, HR, and H2 sections. Place cross-references after the main content and include experimental warnings for preview features.

Updating test assertion arrays when adding new documentation pages is required by the Test Sync Rule to maintain consistency between documentation and automated tests. This ensures new pages are properly validated and prevents broken cross-references or missing content.

Yes, you can use these documentation style rules for auditing existing feature guides, scenarios, and templates. The rules validate headings, voice, tense, scannability, and experimental callouts to ensure all content aligns with team-specific patterns and reduces editorial churn.

Sentence-case headings and active voice are standard technical writing conventions with few limitations, though they require avoiding ampersands in prose except where appropriate. Authors must strictly follow these style rules to maintain consistent formatting across all project documentation.