It's normally used by end-users, but can also be handy for stakeholders, programmers and engineers to delve further into a product's technology. It encompasses things like:. On the other hand, process documentation is made up of documents that outline a product's process of development. It usually stays internal and reports on the different stages of a product's lifecycle. It includes documents such as:.
The term technical documentation is intimidating to many, but it doesn't have to be that way. Done correctly, it's a great resource for developers and users alike. Whether you're providing software documentation or product documentation, technical documentation helps end-users solve their own problems.
When you deliver clear, helpful documentation, you empower users to use online help and cut down on a lot of common frustrations. Your team will also spend less time answering questions.
When working on a software product or any other kind of product , things move fast. Establishing an effective content management system and delivering consistent, clear technical documentation help keeps everyone informed and on track.
Put simply, technical documentation gets everything down on paper. It brings the most important information about your product development to the forefront, making sure questions get asked and problems get resolved when they need to be, rather than brushed aside.
If you're ready to begin writing your own technical documentation, Slite's here to help you get started. Forget about looking for stray documents spread across Excel sheets, Microsoft documents, internal wikis and Adobe files. Slite keeps all your information in one place where it can be easily updated and accessed by anyone on your team. Oh, and did we mention that our technical documentation template is free, incredibly easy to customize and looks great across all devices and browsers?
Before you get started writing, establish some structure that'll help guide you in your documentation process. Decide what your documentation will cover and what it won't, doing research as necessary. Find writing documentation harder than writing your actual software? A well-designed documentation template can help you lay the design foundation of your docs so you can concentrate on writing structured and concise documentation content for your users. What do we say to writing documentation?
Not today. CoderDocs is a free documentation template built on the popular Bootstrap framework. The landing page contains a prominent search box and easily skimmable section cards to help users find information quickly. The docs page provides easy navigation between sections via the side menu. This kind of documentation is perhaps less used than product-based documentation, but its goal is to provide a deeper look into the different technical details that make up a product.
There are many reasons why technical documentation is important. However, it comes down to one essential benefit. A lack of information leads to people being unable to use a product correctly or not having the correct knowledge about a product to truly understand it. From the end-user point of view, technical documentation is essential because it helps them use a product effectively.
This is doubly beneficial for the company behind the technical documentation because it cuts down on customer service hours and leads to happier users who can troubleshoot their own issues and get their own questions answered. The easiest way to differentiate between different types of technical documentation is determining who they're written for. Generally speaking, they can be divided into two categories: product documentation and process documentation.
Put simply, process-based documentation describes the development of a product. It doesn't focus on the end product, but outlines the different steps, data and events that make up its progress and evolution. This kind of technical writing normally stays internal and wouldn't be of much use or interest to customers or end-users other than external stakeholders with a vested interest in technical information about a product's development.
It's useful because it describes the different stages in a product's lifecycle. Many different technical product documents fall under the process-based category. A few common examples include:. Product requirements documents : These comprehensive documents outline key information, research, and objectives relating to a new product, feature or service.
On the other hand, product-based documentation, sometimes referred to as user documentation, provides details about what a finished product is and how to use it. Rather than explaining the development process, it focuses on the end product.
The nature and style of this kind of documentation varies a lot. Sometimes it's written for stakeholders, development team members, programmers, engineers and the like who need to dive further into the technical details of a product. Other times, it's written for end-users and customers to help them familiarize themselves with a product.
User experience UX documents: Various kinds of documents that provide information about your product in relation to its users. Other technical specifications like product or software architecture design documents. Source code documentation: Especially important in software documentation , this is important for product management and knowledge transfer, ensuring that other developers and programmers can work on your product with ease in the future. The kind of documentation you provide depends on various factors, such as whether your software is open source or not, but can include things like HTML documentation, PHP documentation and markdown information.
There are severals reasons why excellent technical documentation is so beneficial to the product development process. Most importantly, however, it helps everyone achieve their goals. What do we mean by this? Well, if you're developing a product, your ultimate goal is that customers use your product and enjoy doing so. If you're a consumer, your goal when purchasing a product is to use it effectively so that it helps you solve a problem or otherwise provides you with a service.
Neither of these goals are possible if people don't understand or know how to use a product. This is where great technical documentation comes in. It empowers users with product information and helps them use it effectively, and it helps product teams along in the various stages of their development process.
Here's the key: you need to make sure that your technical documentation is written well. It needs to be clear and easy for its readers to use and understand. Otherwise, it won't fulfill its purpose of helping everyone achieve their goals.
Excellent technical documentation is clear, high-quality and easily accessible. To help make this a reality for you and your development team, Slite's free technical documentation template is here for you.
0コメント