Technical documentation happens simultaneously with the software development and hence has a life cycle similar to the software development life cycle. You need to follow all the stages in this life cycle to ensure that the documents are technically accurate and are of good quality. The six steps of the document development life cycle are as follows:
Preparation
This is similar to the requirements gathering phase of the software development life cycle. Gather all the requirements and available resources during this stage of the life cycle. Identifying the requirements includes establishing the primary purpose of the documentation exercise, analyzing the audience of the documentation, and defining the context and scope of the documentation.
The advances in the field of technical communication also prompted the necessity of identifying the medium. Earlier, hard-copy help manuals were the only source of information provided to the end user. Now, help is available in various formats - online Help, PDFs, and printed documentation. Thus, it is necessary to identify the medium at this stage.
Research
This stage involves reading the source documents such as system specifications and functional specifications. Gather the required inputs from the subject matter experts using various modes of communication such as interviews and emails. Analyze the information received from different sources such as source documents and SMEs during this stage.
You must also understand the importance of secondary research activities - brainstorming, mind mapping, and information mapping. Depending on the audience analysis and audience profiling conducted during the preparation stage, you might have to conduct these secondary research activities to collect additional information. Then, you should be able to define an outline of the document. Such an outline lays the foundation of a technically accurate user-friendly document.
Organization
Every formal document needs to be organized to suit to the end user needs. Organize your information using existing document references, customer-specific style guides, information mapping principles and structured documentation concepts. You must organize your document considering the type of the document - proposals, marketing collaterals, white papers, articles, manuals, or online help. The content in the manuals can again be classified based on the information needs - user manual, installation manuals, training manuals, tutorials, service manuals, operations' manuals, and special-purpose manuals.
You must also focus on visual organization - layout and design, and typography. Choosing appropriate visuals help in a variety of ways such as - showing objects and spatial relationships, displaying geographic information, and showing numerical relationships.
Writing
This is akin to the software coding stage. Writing is an essential part of DDLC. The quality of the document depends on the writing style and the flow of the content. Prepare a documentation plan before embarking on the journey of writing. Use all the information and resources gathered during the previous phases to write accurately.
The two major aspects of writing that you must consider include perspective and usage and process. Choosing the right perspective is also very important while presenting the information. Perspective refers to the approach towards the task on hand. It also refers to the understanding of the context of the document and writing accordingly. Usage and process refer to the usage of words and the process used in writing. You need to consider various aspects such as the usage of American and British English, style guides, and the appropriate method of development.
Review
Begin the review stage by verifying and revising your own draft. You must check your draft for completeness, accuracy, and consistency during this stage along with a check for the Grammar guidelines and usage principles. You must send your document for a peer review. When you peer-review, you not only check the Grammar and style aspects, but also judge the quality of the document by keeping in mind the information needs of the end user.
Editing and proofreading together form an integral part of the review process. Editing is a formal process defined with set goals to improve the overall quality of the document and ensure that the document is technically accurate.
Delivery
As discussed in the Preparation stage earlier, the document must be delivered in a format that is accessible to the end user. You might have to deliver the same installation guide in two different formats for two different types of audiences. Most often, every software application is delivered along with an Online Help and printed documentation. Hence, it is necessary to identify the accessibility needs of the end user and deliver the documents accordingly.
