diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/backwards-incompatible-changes.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/backwards-incompatible-changes.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5e86b9227
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/backwards-incompatible-changes.md
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Backwards-incompatible changes in EasyBuild v5.0
+
+*(for a full overview of changes in EasyBuild v5.0, see [here](overview-of-changes.md))*
+
+A number of *backwards-incompatible* changes are being made in EasyBuild v5.0:
+
+* [Support for Python 2.7 is removed, Python 3.6+ is required][py36]
+* [Deprecated EasyBuild bootstrap script is removed][bootstrap_script]
+* [Experimental support for the `.yeb` easyconfig format is removed][yeb]
+
+---
+
+### Support for Python 2.7 is removed, Python 3.6+ is required {: #py36 }
+
+EasyBuild 5.0 requires Python >= 3.6 to run.
+
+Running EasyBuild with Python 2.7 or a Python 3 version older than Python 3.6 is no longer supported.
+
+Trying to run EasyBuild with a Python version that is too old will result in an error:
+
+```log
+ERROR: No compatible 'python' command found via $PATH (EasyBuild requires Python 3.6+)
+```
+
+Python 2.7 has been [end-of-life since 1 Jan 2020](https://www.python.org/doc/sunset-python-2),
+and dropping compatibility with Python 2.7 and Python 3.5 enabled some significant code cleanup
+(see [easybuild-framework PR #4229](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4229)).
+
+The [results of the 6th EasyBuild User Survey (2022)](https://easybuild.io/user_survey) show that the impact of
+this breaking change on the EasyBuild community should be very limited, since:
+
+* Only ~13% of survey participants were still running EasyBuild on top of Python 2.7;
+* No survey participants reported using Python 3.5;
+* Over 85% of survey participants reported using Python 3.6, or a more recent version of Python 3;
+* Only 3 out of 118 survey participants (~2.5%) reported that dropping support for running EasyBuild
+  on top of Python 2 would be *problematic* for them;
+
+Along with actively removing code that was only required to retain compatibility with Python 2.7 or 3.5,
+the `easybuild.tools.py2vs3` module that was introduced to facilitate supporting both Python 2.7 and Python 3
+has been deprecated (see also [here](deprecated-functionality.md#py2vs3)).
+
+---
+
+### Deprecated EasyBuild bootstrap script is removed {: #bootstrap_script }
+
+The EasyBuild bootstrap script has been removed (see [easybuild-framework PR #4233](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4233)).
+
+Please see the [installation page](../installation.md) for the suggested methods for installing EasyBuild.
+
+---
+
+### Experimental support for the .yeb easyconfig format is removed {: #yeb }
+
+Support for the experimental `.yeb` easyconfig format has been removed (see [easybuild-framework PR #4237](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4237)).
+
+This format allowed easyconfigs to be specified in YAML. However, there has been no recent development of this
+format and little suggestion that anyone was using it at all.
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/deprecated-functionality.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/deprecated-functionality.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bda91ba0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/deprecated-functionality.md
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# Deprecated functionality in EasyBuild v5.0
+
+*(for a full overview of changes in EasyBuild v5.0, see [here](overview-of-changes.md))*
+
+Some functionality is being deprecated in EasyBuild v5.0, and will no longer be supported in EasyBuild v6.0:
+
+* [`run_cmd` and `run_cmd_qa` functions][run_cmd]
+* [`easybuild.tools.py2vs3` module][py2vs3]
+
+If you trigger any deprecated functionality when using EasyBuild v5.0, a warning message will be printed.
+
+---
+
+### `run_cmd` and `run_cmd_qa` functions {: #run_cmd }
+
+The `run_cmd` and `run_cmd_qa` functions will be deprecated.
+
+You should migrate to the new [`run_shell_cmd`](run_shell_cmd.md) function instead.
+
+
+---
+
+### `easybuild.tools.py2vs3` module {: #py2vs3 }
+
+[easybuild-framework PR #4229](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4229)
+
+The following table lists the changes required to replace imports from the the `py2vs3` module.
+
+| `from easybuild.tools.py2vs3 import ...` | Replacement |
+|--|--|
+| `ascii_letters` | `from string import ascii_letters` |
+| `ascii_lowercase` | `from string import ascii_lowercase` |
+| `build_opener` | `from urllib.request import build_opener` |
+| `ConfigParser` | `from configparser import ConfigParser` |
+| `configparser` | `import configparser` |
+| `create_base_metaclass` | `from easybuild.base.wrapper import create_base_metaclass` |
+| `extract_method_name` | No import required. Replace `extract_method_name(method)` with `'_'.join(method.__code__.co_names)` |
+| `HTMLParser` | `from html.parser import HTMLParser` |
+| `HTTPError` | `from urllib.request import HTTPError` |
+| `HTTPSHandler` | `from urllib.request import HTTPSHandler` |
+| `json_loads` | `from json import loads` and rename `json_loads` to `loads` |
+| `Mapping` | `from collections.abc import Mapping` |
+| `mk_wrapper_baseclass` | `from easybuild.base.wrapper import mk_wrapper_baseclass` |
+| `OrderedDict` | `from collections import OrderedDict` |
+| `raise_with_traceback` | No import required. Replace `raise_with_traceback(exception, message, tb)` with `raise exception(message).with_traceback(tb)` |
+| `reload` | `from importlib import reload` |
+| `Request` | `from urllib.request import Request` |
+| `string_type` | No import required. Use `str` directly. |
+| `StringIO` | `from io import StringIO` |
+| `std_urllib` | `import urllib.request as std_urllib` |
+| `subprocess_popen_text` | `from easybuild.tools.run import subprocess_popen_text` |
+| `subprocess_terminate` | `from easybuild.tools.run import subprocess_terminate` |
+| `urlencode` | `from urllib.parse import urlencode` |
+| `URLError` | `from urllib.request import URLError` |
+| `urlopen` | `from urllib.request import urlopen` |
+
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/enhancements.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/enhancements.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..417710131
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/enhancements.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# Enhancements in EasyBuild v5.0
+
+*(for a full overview of changes in EasyBuild v5.0, see [here](overview-of-changes.md))*
+
+Various significant enhancements are included in EasyBuild v5.0, including:
+
+* [`run_shell_cmd` function][run_shell_cmd]
+* [Enable `--trace` by default][trace]
+
+---
+
+### `run_shell_cmd` function { : #run_shell_cmd }
+
+See dedicated page on the new [`run_shell_cmd` function](run_shell_cmd.md).
+
+---
+
+### Enable `--trace` by default {: #trace }
+
+The [`--trace` option](../tracing-progress.md) is enabled by default (see [easybuild-framework PR #4250](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4250)).
+
+This makes the output produced by the `eb` command more informative, by providing more information about what's going on in the background.
+
+To disable trace output, either:
+
+* Use the `--disable-trace` command line option;
+* Set the `$EASYBUILD_DISABLE_TRACE` environment variable;
+* Disable trace mode in a [configuration file](../configuration.md#configuration_file):
+
+    ``` ini
+    [override]
+    trace=0
+    ```
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/index.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/index.md
index 2146257cf..f6578511c 100644
--- a/docs/easybuild-v5/index.md
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # EasyBuild v5.0
 
-* [Overview of changes](overview-of-changes.md)
-* [GitHub Project board](https://github.com/orgs/easybuilders/projects/18)
-* [Talk on EasyBuild 5.0 at EUM'23](https://easybuild.io/eum23/#easybuild5)
+- [Overview of changes](overview-of-changes.md)
+    - [Backwards-incompatible changes](backwards-incompatible-changes.md)
+    - [Enhancements](enhancements.md)
+        - [`run_shell_cmd` function](run_shell_cmd.md)
+    - [Deprecated functionality](deprecated-functionality.md)
+    - [Policies](policies.md)
+- [GitHub Project board](https://github.com/orgs/easybuilders/projects/18)
+- [Talk on EasyBuild 5.0 at EasyBuild User Meeting 2023](https://easybuild.io/eum23/#easybuild5)
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/overview-of-changes.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/overview-of-changes.md
index 24499ff1b..3eec0ff9f 100644
--- a/docs/easybuild-v5/overview-of-changes.md
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/overview-of-changes.md
@@ -1,168 +1,30 @@
-# Overview of changes in EasyBuild version 5.0 {: #overview }
+# Overview of changes in EasyBuild version 5.0
 
 !!! warning
     EasyBuild 5.0 is currently still under development, via the `5.0.x` branches in the EasyBuild GitHub repositories.
 
-    We intend to update this page regularly as the [planned changes][eb5_plans] are being implemented and when there
-    are [proposed changes][eb5_proposals] where we are requesting community feedback.
+    We intend to update this section of the documentation regularly as the planned changes are being implemented,
+    and when there are [proposed changes](proposed-changes.md) where we are requesting community feedback.
 
 This page provides a concise overview of the most prominent changes in EasyBuild version 5.0,
 which can be categorized as:
 
-* [Significant enhancements][significant_enhancements]
-* [Backward-incompatible changes][backwards_incompatible]
-* [Deprecated functionality][deprecated_v5]
+* [Enhancements](enhancements.md)
+* [Backward-incompatible changes](backwards-incompatible-changes.md)
+* [Deprecated functionality](deprecated-functionality.md)
+* [Proposed changes](proposed-changes.md)
+* [Policies](policies.md)
 
-For in-depth details on a particular change, see the pull requests that are linked from each of the subsections below.
+For in-depth details on a particular change, see the pull requests that are linked
+from each of the subsections linked above.
 
----
-
-## Planned and proposed changes for EasyBuild v5.0 {: #eb5_changes }
-
-At the [EasyBuild User Meeting](https://easybuild.io/eum23), Simon Branford set out the
+At the [EasyBuild User Meeting 2023](https://easybuild.io/eum23), Simon Branford set out the
 [roadmap for EasyBuild v5.0](https://easybuild.io/eum23/#easybuild5).
 
-### Proposed changes for EasyBuild v5.0 {: #eb5_proposals }
-
-There are several proposed changes where the EasyBuild maintainers are seeking community feedback. If you wish to provide
-feedback then please comment in the GitHub issue for the proposal.
-
-* [Minimum supported Lmod Version](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild/issues/871)
-* [Toolchain Support Policy](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild/issues/872)
-
-### Planned changes for EasyBuild v5.0 {: #eb5_plans }
+To track the progress on the development of EasyBuild v5.0,
+see the [GitHub Project board for EasyBuild v5.0](https://github.com/orgs/easybuilders/projects/18).
 
 !!! note
-    This list is the major planned changes. It is not intended to be a complete list of all changes that are
-    planned for EasyBuild v5.0.
-
-### Tracking development of EasyBuild v5.0
-
-* [GitHub Project board for EasyBuild v5.0](https://github.com/orgs/easybuilders/projects/18)
-
----
-
-## Significant enhancements in EasyBuild v5.0 {: #significant_enhancements }
-
-Various significant enhancements are included in EasyBuild v5.0, including:
-
-* [enable `--trace` by default][eb5_trace]
-
-### `--trace` enabled by default {: #eb5_trace }
-
-The [`--trace` option][trace] is enabled by default (see [easybuild-framework PR #4250](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4250)).
-This makes the output produced by the `eb` command more informative, by providing more information about what's going on in the background.
-
-To disable trace output, either:
-
-* Use the `--disable-trace` command line option;
-* Set the `$EASYBUILD_DISABLE_TRACE` environment variable;
-* Disable trace mode in a [configuration file][configuration_file]:
-
-    ``` ini
-    [override]
-    trace=0
-    ```
-
----
-
-## Backwards-incompatible changes in EasyBuild v4.0 {: #backwards_incompatible }
-
-A number of *backwards-incompatible* changes are being made in EasyBuild v5.0:
-
-* [Support for Python 2.7 is removed -- Python 3.6+ is required][py36]
-* [Deprecated EasyBuild bootstrap script is removed][bootstrap_script]
-* [Experimental support for the .yeb easyconfig format is removed][yeb]
-
----
-
-### Support for Python 2.7 is removed -- Python 3.6+ is required {: #py36 }
-
-EasyBuild 5.0 requires Python >= 3.6 to run.
-
-Running EasyBuild with Python 2.7 or a Python 3 version older than Python 3.6 is no longer supported.
-
-Trying to run EasyBuild with a Python version that is too old will result in an error:
-
-```log
-ERROR: No compatible 'python' command found via $PATH (EasyBuild requires Python 3.6+)
-```
-
-Python 2.7 has been [end-of-life since 1 Jan 2020](https://www.python.org/doc/sunset-python-2),
-and dropping compatibility with Python 2.7 and Python 3.5 enabled some significant code cleanup
-(see [easybuild-framework PR #4229](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4229)).
-
-The [results of the 6th EasyBuild User Survey (2022)](https://easybuild.io/user_survey) show that the impact of
-this breaking change on the EasyBuild community should be very limited, since:
-
-* Only ~13% of survey participants were still running EasyBuild on top of Python 2.7;
-* No survey participants reported using Python 3.5;
-* Over 85% of survey participants reported using Python 3.6, or a more recent version of Python 3;
-* Only 3 out of 118 survey participants (~2.5%) reported that dropping support for running EasyBuild
-  on top of Python 2 would be *problematic* for them;
-
-Along with actively removing code that was only required to retain compatibility with Python 2.7 or 3.5,
-the `easybuild.tools.py2vs3` module that was introduced to facilitate supporting both Python 2.7 and Python 3
-has been deprecated ([see also below][py2vs3]).
-
----
-
-### Deprecated EasyBuild bootstrap script is removed {: #bootstrap_script }
-
-The EasyBuild bootstrap script has been removed (see [easybuild-framework PR #4233](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4233)).
-Please see the [installation page][installation] for the suggested methods for installing EasyBuild.
-
----
-
-### Experimental support for the .yeb easyconfig format is removed {: #yeb }
-
-Support for the experimental `.yeb` easyconfig format has been removed (see [easybuild-framework PR #4237](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4237)).
-This format allowed easyconfigs to be specified in YAML. However, there has been no recent development of this
-format and little suggestion that anyone was using it.
-
----
-
-## Deprecated functionality in EasyBuild v5.0 {: #deprecated_v5 }
-
-Some functionality is being deprecated in EasyBuild v5.0, and will no longer be supported in EasyBuild v6.0:
-
-* [`easybuild.tools.py2vs3` module][py2vs3]
-
-If you trigger any deprecated functionality, a warning message will be printed.
-
----
-
-### `easybuild.tools.py2vs3` module {: #py2vs3 }
-
-[easybuild-framework PR #4229](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/4229)
-
-The following table lists the changes required to replace imports from the the `py2vs3` module.
-
-| `from easybuild.tools.py2vs3 import ...` | Replacement |
-|--|--|
-| `ascii_letters` | `from string import ascii_letters` |
-| `ascii_lowercase` | `from string import ascii_lowercase` |
-| `build_opener` | `from urllib.request import build_opener` |
-| `ConfigParser` | `from configparser import ConfigParser` |
-| `configparser` | `import configparser` |
-| `create_base_metaclass` | `from easybuild.base.wrapper import create_base_metaclass` |
-| `extract_method_name` | No import required. Replace `extract_method_name(method)` with `'_'.join(method.__code__.co_names)` |
-| `HTMLParser` | `from html.parser import HTMLParser` |
-| `HTTPError` | `from urllib.request import HTTPError` |
-| `HTTPSHandler` | `from urllib.request import HTTPSHandler` |
-| `json_loads` | `from json import loads` and rename `json_loads` to `loads` |
-| `Mapping` | `from collections.abc import Mapping` |
-| `mk_wrapper_baseclass` | `from easybuild.base.wrapper import mk_wrapper_baseclass` |
-| `OrderedDict` | `from collections import OrderedDict` |
-| `raise_with_traceback` | No import required. Replace `raise_with_traceback(exception, message, tb)` with `raise exception(message).with_traceback(tb)` |
-| `reload` | `from importlib import reload` |
-| `Request` | `from urllib.request import Request` |
-| `string_type` | No import required. Use `str` directly. |
-| `StringIO` | `from io import StringIO` |
-| `std_urllib` | `import urllib.request as std_urllib` |
-| `subprocess_popen_text` | `from easybuild.tools.run import subprocess_popen_text` |
-| `subprocess_terminate` | `from easybuild.tools.run import subprocess_terminate` |
-| `urlencode` | `from urllib.parse import urlencode` |
-| `URLError` | `from urllib.request import URLError` |
-| `urlopen` | `from urllib.request import urlopen` |
+    This section covers the major planned changes.
 
+    It is not intended to be a *complete* list of all changes that are planned for EasyBuild v5.0.
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/policies.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/policies.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..773f922c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/policies.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Policies related to EasyBuild v5.0
+
+*(for a full overview of changes in EasyBuild v5.0, see [here](overview-of-changes.md))*
+
+Starting with EasyBuild v5.0, we will enforce the new [toolchain support policy](../policies/toolchains.md).
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/proposed-changes.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/proposed-changes.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d7af4c5df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/proposed-changes.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Proposed changes for EasyBuild v5.0
+
+*(for a full overview of changes in EasyBuild v5.0, see [here](overview-of-changes.md))*
+
+There are several proposed changes where the EasyBuild maintainers are seeking community feedback.
+If you wish to provide feedback then please comment in the GitHub issue for the proposal.
+
+* [Minimum supported Lmod version](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild/issues/871)
+* [Toolchain support policy](https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild/issues/872)
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/run_shell_cmd.md b/docs/easybuild-v5/run_shell_cmd.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..279dac9ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/run_shell_cmd.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# `run_shell_cmd` function
+
+*(for a full overview of changes in EasyBuild v5.0, see [here](overview-of-changes.md))*
+
+In EasyBuild v5.0, a new function named `run_shell_cmd` is introduced to run shell commands.
+
+This function replaces both the `run_cmd` and `run_cmd_qa` functions, which will be deprecated in EasyBuild v5.0.
+
+## Motivation
+
+...
+
+## High-level overview
+
+...
+
+## Use cases
+
+...
+
+## Transitioning from `run_cmd` to `run_shell_cmd`
+
+...
+
+## Transitioning from `run_cmd_qa` to `run_shell_cmd`
+
+...
diff --git a/docs/easybuild-v5/run_shell_cmd.md.bk b/docs/easybuild-v5/run_shell_cmd.md.bk
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3e03d96ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/easybuild-v5/run_shell_cmd.md.bk
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# `run_shell_cmd` function
+
+In EasyBuild v5.0, a new function named `run_shell_cmd` is introduced to run shell commands.
+
+This function replaces both the `run_cmd` and `run_cmd_qa` functions, which will be deprecated in EasyBuild v5.0.
+
+## Motivation
+
+The motivation for this change is manifold:
+
+- The API of the `run_cmd` and `run_cmd_qa` was quite messy at best, with cryptic options like `log_all`, `log_ok`, etc.
+- Dropping support for running EasyBuild on top of Python 2.7 implies an opportunity to revisit
+  the implementation of core functions, like the ones used for running shell commands.
+  Rather than trying to improve the existing `run_cmd` and `run_cmd_qa` functions,
+  it was significantly easier to start over with a fresh implementation,
+  in which we leverage features supported by Python 3.6+.
+- The `run_cmd` function was not used to run Lmod commands, because it did not have support
+  for splitting the output produced via the stdout and stderr output channels.
+- A cleaner API and fresh implementation allowed for designing the `run_shell_cmd` function
+  with additional features in mind, which would have been more difficult to implement
+  in the existing `run_cmd` and `run_shell_cmd` functions.
+
+## High-level overview
+
+### Return value
+
+```python
+res = run_shell_cmd("echo example; echo oops >&2")
+```
+
+
+## Use cases
+
+### Default usage
+
+```python
+run_shell_cmd("echo example")
+```
+
+### Running "hidden" shell commands
+
+```python
+run_shell_cmd("ulimit -a", hidden=True)
+```
+
+### Running a shell command that may fail
+
+```python
+res = run_shell_cmd("russian_roulette", fail_on_error=False)
+```
+
+## Transitioning from `run_cmd` to `run_shell_cmd`
+
+## Transitioning from `run_cmd_qa` to `run_shell_cmd`