kateryna sasnyk - introducing techcomm terra incognita to your company: how we did it, soap! 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Introducing TechComm Terra Incognita to Your Company. How We
Did It by Kateryna SanykHead of Information Development Office at ELEKS
● Head of the Information Development Office in ELEKS Ltd.
● Proud to live in Lviv, one of the most beautiful cities of Ukraine
● Passionate about matters concerning content and usability
● Believe that users do read documentation
● Love winter and skiing● Fan of impressionism in art
About me
Agenda● No one reads documentation – truth or myth?● Short case study of how we built an Information
Development Office almost from scratch.● Things to consider when building the team ● Discoveries that dawned on me● Top-5 lessons learned● Plans and aspirations
Users do not read documentation
In fact, they are smart to do so because● You don’t target your audience● You have hazy knowledge of your
application● Your documentation is excessive● The major use cases are not covered● Poor navigation and searchability● Poor structuring and layout
Think about the userswhen creating any type of
content on the project, and you will
prove your team that documentation is an essential
part of a great product.
Challenges I faced when I joined the company● Little or no people knew about Technical Writers● Prejudice against Technical Writers as non-techy
fellows ● Regarding Technical Writers as proofreaders of the
developers’ documents● Little or no success stories communicated internally● No processes and standards enforced● Several departments doing similar job
Concepts substitution
Competence development
Technical Writervs.Information Developer
- InfoDev basic trainings- Knowledge Base- Standards and processes- Planning
Competence promotion
Integration
- Company-wide presentations about the “new” competence- Presentations to interested parties- Expert talks
- Analysis of documentation on the existing projects- Analysis of projects without documentation and help on starting documentation- “Magic pairs”
Top-priority things I did first
Unexpected discoveries● Enforcing processes and standards leads to
simplifying daily workflows rather than complicating them
● If you prove your expertise and value, the team startsperceiving you as an integral part
● Hiring right people is crucial to the team success anddevelopment
● Never put borders between your employees and yourself to get a highly motivated and inspired team
Achievements for the 2 years● Separating as an independent structural unit
within the company● 3x growth● Established onboarding and mentoring processes● Involvement on the initial project stages● Involvement into presales activities● Adding documentation standards to the project
development process● Professional blog established (
informaze.wordpress.com)
Lessons learned1. Communicate2. Collaborate3. Blend in4. Take extra responsibilities5. Be firm6. Value
What’s next?● Put users before documentation● Think of the real value your documentation brings
to users● Standardize● Innovate● Be integral part of the development team● Promote yourself
Documentation is not a cherry on top of the cake – it is the cream!
Thank you!
My contacts: Linkedin: https://ua.linkedin.com/pub/kateryna-sasnyk/16/80/847Twitter: @tiny_NamystynkaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/kateryna.sasnykEmail: [email protected]: https://informaze.wordpress.com