TECHNICAL WRITING

Systems and Procedural Documentation
All enterprise application solutions can be implemented faster and used more effectively with the addition of organized, well-written systems and procedural documentation. Personnel come up to speed faster when they can quickly find answers to their questions, reducing frustration, resistance to change, and inefficiency.

Developing and maintaining accurate systems and procedural documentation can help you:

• Pass audits.

• Create and maintain accurate records of systems design, maintenance, upgrade, and redundancy.

• Establish a historical basis for future decisions (it's impossible to know where to go if you don’t keep track of where you have been).

• Provide IT staff with a customized knowledgebase of systems configuration data, operational procedures, and policy information.

• Ensure consistency through staff changes and organizational transitions.

Without meaningful documentation, IT staff spends more time dealing with technical problems, repeatedly researching and collecting the same information, and implementing multiple versions of the same solutions. Systems and procedural documentation helps you:

• Reduce workload.

• Improve customer productivity.

• Improve customer satisfaction.

• Increase sales.

The Systems and Procedural Documentation Process
We start by interviewing subject matter experts and accurately documenting the actions that make up the business and systems processes associated with a particular solution.

The documentation medium depends on the solution that is implemented. For example, planned system maintenance may be best represented by an HTML process management application, while hardware and software guides are better for documenting product customizations. The applicable documentation deliverables can take several forms:

• Process flows and diagrams

• Hardware and software installation guides

• Hardware and software reference guides

• Hardware and software maintenance and repair guides

• Administrative materials

• Organizational manuals and reports

We specifically design the systems and procedural documentation around your business needs, company structure, and business environment.

End-User Documentation and Training
The ultimate measure of any business solution is whether the end﷓users can perform their duties more efficiently than they did before implementation.

The quickest way to get end-users up to speed is to intertwine documentation and training for end-users with our proven documentation and training methodologies.

We understand that all implementations must yield measurable business results to be successful. Success depends largely on the ability of your employees to utilize the application correctly. Proper education of end-users leads to:

• Increased productivity—Well-trained users with access to good documentation can find answers to their questions and eliminate the need for re-training.

• Improved quality—Well-trained users with access to good documentation make fewer errors and show improved consistency when performing assigned tasks.

• Increased employee satisfaction—Well-trained users with access to good documentation are less apprehensive about the new application and are more comfortable and confident with the system.

• Heightened effectiveness of the application—Well-trained users with access to good documentation understand the application and can tap into the available functionality.

The End-User Documentation and Training Process
We start by interviewing end-users and accurately documenting the actions that make up the business and systems processes associated with their departments. This allows us to identify all tasks, including those that are minor and infrequent, that each end-user performs.

The documentation medium depends on the number of procedures a specific user performs. For example, a quick-reference card may be best for users with a small number of tasks, while a user guide may be ideal for those individuals with extensive responsibilities. The applicable documentation deliverables can take several forms:

• Quick-reference cards

• User guides

• Instructor guides

• Exercise sheets

• On-line access to training materials

• Computer-based training modules

We specifically design training development around your business needs, company structure, and business environment.

We create thorough training materials that can be reused and easily modify to reflect changes to business processes and system upgrades. We'll even train your staff to maintain your documentation and to provide user support if needed.

Documentation and training is provided by LEADER DT, a partner of Intelligent Technology Solutions, Inc., dedicated to improving company efficiency, productivity, and solution implementations through the effective use of documentation and training.