The technical documentation process is important.

  • Do your engineers spend too much time on documentation and specifications instead of developing?
  • Or worse, are your customers complaining about missing information or inconsistencies?
  • Or even more worse, do they not buy because your information is difficult to comprehend?

During my career I have been working to solve these issues by organizing teams, changing processes and technologies. Let me help you and your team find the opportunities to achieve the comfortable feeling that your process is working and future proof.

Common problems and solutions

Sales support often receive questions on subjects which the technical documentation should explain. Answering questions takes much energy in the sales support activities which is better spent on more effective documentation.

  • A well defined content strategy ensures that all relevant information is captured in a structure that enables users to find answers to their questions as quickly as possible.

The documents seem to come from different companies, they lack charisma.

  • A styleguide defines look & feel as well as
    writing style and aims to produce a consistent
    presentation throughout all information.

  • Terminology management is invaluable to ensure a consistent user experience but is also very helpful for internal processes and information
    retrievability.

The information seems to come from multiple sources which lead to misunderstanding and questions at customer services.

  • Quality management is needed to ensure that
    the information created adheres to the house style as defined.

The people who contribute to the documentation see
the documentation work as a lowest priority task.

The documentation is never finished in time and it is never quite clear why it is delayed.

The product portfolio contains multiple, similar products which are updated regularly and it is difficult to find the right information when questions arise.

  • The document creation and maintenance process
    helps the content retrievability, to ensure timely
    information creation, to achieve the quality levels as defined and the information completeness as defined in the content strategy.

Technical documentation is a part of a product, not something that goes with it like the packaging.

  • Often, the technical documentation is consulted before purchase.

    Good, effective technical documentation helps to build confidence in the products or services to be delivered, while inconsistent and unclear information gives little confidence.

    Documentation effectiveness impacts the total experience of the customer and as such influences the purchase.