documentation upsells-04-25-15
TRANSCRIPT
Prepared by Tom Murphy, Document Maintenance, Inc. Page 1 [email protected]
Proposals Must Include Documentation For every software development initiative, there are several documentation billing opportunities. If the client company is large, the application you are developing for them will have to pass through some form of System Development Life Cycle (waterfall, agile, etc.). Beyond that, the company will have some form of certification process or audit trail, and your software documentation may be reviewed by internal auditors or regulatory agencies. Specifications will be needed. If the company is small, it will also need to have specifications written so that they can farm out parts of the development effort to sub-contractors, if necessary, and to convince their customers of your attention to detail. Whether the company is large or small, they will likely want technical documentation in some form. In the development phase, you have needs for:
Architecture Diagrams
Business Requirements
Data Conversion Plan
Deployment Plan
Software architecture document
Functional Specifications
Detailed Specifications
Testing Plans (SIT, UAT, SaaS, etc.)
Run Book
Client-specific internal document requirements
APIs
Calls
Network Details
Security Layer For the deployment phase:
Training documentation o Class content o Training aids
User guides
Prepared by Tom Murphy, Document Maintenance, Inc. Page 2 [email protected]
Quick Reference Pamphlets or Cards
Promotional Materials
Marketing Brochures
Email notifications
Help Files/FAQs
Web Site Content Typically, a cost conscious client will not want to take on the additional expense, and may simply say that the developer should do the documentation when the code is finally closed. There are many reasons why this is not practical:
The developer’s skills are different from the writer’s. Each does not know the other’s business:
Developers may be needed for other, different coding initiatives
Developers may be needed for bug fixes
The developer may not be strong in writing in English. English may not be the developer’s primary language. Those who speak well do not necessarily write well. Developers are too close to their creations, and tend to tell too much.
Why waste a developer’s time and skills writing, when a tech writer is a much cheaper resource?
A technical writer may be the most economical member of your team. For example, a Java developer must know Java coding very well. Here is the salary potential for an entry level Java programmer, according to Salary.com.
Prepared by Tom Murphy, Document Maintenance, Inc. Page 3 [email protected]
By comparison, a tech writer must know:
The MS Office Suite o Word o Excel o Access o Publisher o PowerPoint o Visio
Multiple email systems
WinZip
Adobe Professional
Photo Shop
Document scanning hardware and software
RoboHELP/RoboHTML Help File generators
Screen Capturing Utilities
Any tool purchased by a client and in use
These are in addition to learning the software that is to be documented! By contrast, the entry level tech writer is not expensive at all. Salary.com reports the following.
Prepared by Tom Murphy, Document Maintenance, Inc. Page 4 [email protected]
If billed at an hourly rate, the tech writer is even cheaper. In addition, it is common for more than one application to be in development. If there are multiple development efforts underway, the tech writer can be a shared resource. It is a puzzle to me why tech writers are so undervalued, but it is a fact of life. The writer is an inexpensive resource by comparison to coders. So, when you do your proposals, don’t forget to include the tech writer!