Technical documentation is absolutely essential for helping the users of your product make sense of software. But there’s no denying that producing and keeping up with high-quality documentation demands a lot of time, not to mention solid writing skills.
For a lot of tech companies, it’s not a matter of being aware of the value of documentation, but rather working out how to manage it alongside product development without losing momentum. Here’s how to decide whether or not you should outsource your technical documentation.
If Your Engineering Team Has No Time for Writing Docs
If your developers find themselves regularly writing guides rather than working on new features, this is an obvious sign that it’s time to think about bringing in outside help with documentation.
Your developers may have the technical wherewithal to explain a feature, but producing good documentation goes beyond that. You also need to understand what users are trying to achieve and structure the information in a way that’s easy to follow. If documentation is constantly competing with your development priorities, then bringing in someone to handle it can be a smart choice.
If Your Documentation Is Struggling to Keep Up with Product Updates
Your company most likely moves fast to get new features and updates out the door, and when you’re working at speed, you can quickly find that your documentation is struggling to keep up.
Having gaps in documentation is a problem for users who rely on your guides to do their jobs, and it also puts pressure on the support teams who have to answer questions that clear documentation could’ve resolved. In this scenario, having someone on the outside who specialises in documentation can give your team a much-needed boost.
If Your Docs Need a Refresh Because They’re Not Good Enough
Technical knowledge is just the first step to producing good documentation. If your current documentation is too complicated or lacks consistency, then bringing in a professional writer can help you sort out the clarity and structure.
Working with a company offering specialist technical writing services, like Devdocs, can give you access to people who really understand how to take complex product information and turn it into useful documentation that makes sense to users.
If Your Support Team Is Getting Slogged Down with Repeat Questions
According to Zendesk’s trends report on customer experience, more and more customers are expecting businesses to give them quick access to information and self-service options. There’s a good chance you can save your support team some work by providing the exact information that users need in your documentation itself.
Reviewing your support tickets can be a great way to work out where your documentation needs improvement. If customers keep asking the same question over and over, then it’s a sign that your guides just aren’t doing a good enough job.
Treat Documentation as a Core Part of Your Product
The National Institute of Standards and Technology highlights that clear documentation and processes are key to effective technology management and cybersecurity practices. And the more you can make your documentation work for you, the stronger your software is likely to be.Â
Ultimately, knowing when to bring in outside expertise gives your team the best chance to keep up quality without slowing down development.