The challenge

We teamed up with Corunet to assist a Fortune 500 corporation in breaking down their large documentation site into smaller, more manageable projects closer to the source code.

Housing all software product documentation on a single, large site caused bottlenecks in content updates and made it difficult to keep pace with fast software changes.

Collaborative strategy

Our initial step was to strategize the division of the monolithic documentation into smaller, more manageable projects.

We aimed for each project's documentation to be closely integrated with its corresponding source code. This setup would facilitate easier updates and maintenance directly by the teams working on the software.

Implementing this strategy involved a significant shift not just in process but also in mindset, promoting the adoption of Docs As Code principles throughout the corporation. This meant treating documentation with the same rigor and version control as code, a move requiring collaboration and buy-in from all involved.

Assembling the team

Key to the success of this initiative was putting together a skilled team of technical writers. In collaboration with Corunet, we leveraged our expertise to lead the migration strategy and its implementation, ensuring a smooth onboarding process for everyone involved.

Templating for consistency

To ensure consistency across the documentation of all software products, we develop and shared a set of documentation templates. These templates served as a foundational guide for structuring new documentation, ensuring that regardless of the product, users would have a consistent and predictable experience when seeking information.

Migrating the documentation

We set up a process for helping teams migrating and reviewing documentation. This step was essential to make sure that every document went through a detailed review and testing phase before being published, significantly improving the content's quality and reliability.

A key part of this strategy was not just creating the process but also putting it into action. We started with a few pilot projects, which let us test and tweak our approach in a manageable setting before applying it to all documentation. This gradual approach helped us tackle any issues on a smaller scale first, ensuring a smoother rollout for the entire range of software products.

The outcome

The migration project was a resounding success. The modular approach allowed for quicker updates, better accuracy, and more complete docs owned by the development teams.

Moreover, it set a scalable model that the corporation could continue to build upon as new software products were developed.

Tech stack