Documentation Plans: 5 Ways To Align With Business Goals

How much time and money is your organization losing because critical knowledge is trapped inside individual heads, poorly documented, or simply nonexistent?

The answer is likely more than you think.

In my experience, a well-crafted documentation plan is far more than just a nice-to-have; it’s a strategic business asset. By outlining the scope, structure, and resources required for creating tech docs, a documentation plan directly translates to reduced onboarding times for new employees, improved knowledge sharing across teams, fewer support tickets stemming from misunderstandings, and ultimately, a more efficient and profitable operation.

In the following tutorial, I’ll show you why investing in a clear documentation strategy isn’t just about writing things down; it’s about building a foundation for scalable growth and sustainable success.

How to Manage Large Documentation Projects

One of the difficulties in starting a large writing project is knowing where to start.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Which document should you start first? How long will it take to write each guide, brochure, or form? And then there are side issues, such as style guides, naming conventions, and other writing tasks. Where do you start?

Here’s a suggested approach that might help.

#1 Get Agreement with Stakeholders

First, get firm agreement with your project sponsors and stakeholders regarding what they’re expecting.

This includes the exact list of documents, delivery type (print, PDF, online), and final dates.

This protects you from ‘assumptions’ people may have later in the process.

“Well I imagined it would be like this etc…”

You can mitigate against this by showing them sample documents and asking what they like/don’t like in the samples.

Record their feedback and factor this into your plans.

#2 Define the Scope of Work

Next, what needs to be documented?

Create a master list in your documentation plan excel file of what needs to be documented.

This includes the exact list of documents, including minor documents, such as release notes.

Use this to define the amount of effort involved.

Responsibility Matrix Template

#3 Create a Documentation Plan

To coordinate the different documents, create a documentation plan. Essentially, this is a project plan for documents.

• Create a documentation plan, version control it, and create your first draft.
• In your documentation plan excel file, add a Priority column.
• Assign High, Medium, and Low to each document.
• Assign a writer and reviewer(s) to each document.
• Enter a start and end date. These may change but at least get them scheduled.
• Add keywords for product line, feature, or other item. Use this to filter the overall document set later on.

Documentation Plan Template (MS Word/Excel WBS)

Your Documentation Plan template describes how your technical documents will be prepared, delivered and distributed. This is also known as an Information Development (ID) Plan. Essentially, it serves as a project plan for the documentation requirements on a software project.

[Learn more about this documentation plan template]

Use this template to:

• Identify the content, format, page count, size etc for each document in your next publication cycle
• Prepare cost estimates for project duration and schedule resources to meet the documentation requirements
• Have greater control over your budget and ensure that risks and issues are addressed before starting the writing phase
• Identify the necessary tools/licenses/PC configuration and ensure documents are scoped correctly with the appropriate level of detail

#4 Plan your writing tasks

Using the documentation plan as your frame of reference:

• Work on the most important documents first. Others can wait.
• When you get the draft ready, send it out for review. Track this.
• While this is under review, start the new high priority document.
• Follow the same process for the rest of the documents.
• Update the spreadsheet as you go along.
• Send weekly reminders to all stakeholders. This includes reviewers, SMEs, and project sponsors.

#5 Get Signoff – Publish!

Share the documentation plan with the stakeholders. Ask if you’ve overlooked anything.

Phrase your emails to demonstrate that you’re in control, understand the bigger picture, and are more than a ‘writer’ — that you’re planning, communicating, and offering advice as well.

A lot of this is about anticipating objects, resistance, or other concerns.

Once you’ve identified this, work backwards.

• Address each one, clarify anything that you’re (and possibly they) are unclear about.
• Don’t wait until the project has started.
• Agree expectations before the project starts. This ensures you don’t get ambushed later on. Make sure there are no assumptions. Get everything clarified, then start.

Agile Documentation Planning

But where does this fit within the Agile and Scrum frameworks so many organizations embrace?

The key is to view documentation not as a separate deliverable, but as an integral part of the development process.

A documentation plan, therefore, ensures that documentation is:

• Iterative and Incremental: Documentation is created and updated alongside each sprint, reflecting the evolving product.

• Just-in-Time: Focus on documenting what’s needed now, avoiding the pitfalls of overly detailed, upfront documentation that quickly becomes outdated.

• Collaborative: Involve the entire team, from developers to testers to product owners, in the documentation process to ensure accuracy and completeness.

• Aligned with User Stories: Documentation can be tied directly to user stories, ensuring that it addresses specific user needs and functionalities.

By integrating a well-defined documentation plan into Agile and Scrum workflows, you can avoid the common pitfalls of neglecting documentation and reap the full benefits of a truly agile and well-documented product.

Investing in a clear documentation strategy isn’t just about writing things down; it’s about building a foundation that allows you to scale and deliver documents provide real value to your customers.

Recap & Next Steps

A detailed Documentation Plan, outlining scope, structure, and resources, unlocks a wealth of benefits, such as:

• Reduced Onboarding Time: New employees can quickly become productive by accessing readily available and well-organized information.

• Improved Knowledge Sharing: Break down silos and empower teams to collaborate effectively by centralizing crucial knowledge.

• Decreased Support Tickets: Clear and accessible documentation empowers users to solve their own problems, freeing up support staff.

• Enhanced Productivity: Streamlined workflows and reduced time spent searching for information lead to a more efficient workforce.

• Lower Training Costs: Comprehensive documentation reduces the reliance on expensive and time-consuming training programs.

Investing in a clear documentation strategy isn’t just about writing things down; it’s about building a robust foundation for scalable growth and sustainable success.

Plan your writing. See each document as a deliverable.By creating a simple documentation plan, you can see at a glance what needs to be done, and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Start planning your documents.

Learn More: 

• Send me any questions about this article over on LinkedIn
• Download the Documentation Plan templates here.