...
- Establish documentation timetables as offsets for each deliverable or assignment
- Begin user documentation
- Sketch outlines: develop in tandem once specs 50% complete
- Sketch content: Spec completion/signoff + 1 week
- Drafting content: in tandem with code/development and iterative code reviews; should be able to complete outline and some content
- Draft #1 user Documentation: within 2 weeks of sprint release for coded feature
- Draft #2 user documentation: Within 2 weeks after release of final code for features, or Release overall
- Format Review copies due: Draft #2 date + 2weeks (time consuming)
- Initial QA Review due: Format Review Date + 1 week
- Final due: Initial QA date + 2 weeks
- Publish due: Final date + 1-2 weeks
- Begin user documentation
- Add 10% + contingency to Draft #2/Format Review dates (ie, some code won't be completed until just before release)
- Create Documentation calendar for each Release, with above offsets for global release
- Publish within 10 weeks of Release date
- Coordinate schedule with Sprint Releases, and most current Milestone or Product Release schedules
- Monitor final code-promotion timetable to DEMO environment to determine when code for release is locked, and also when environments might be down
- Publish and communicate when servers are offline (maintenance, upgrades, refreshes, code promotions) and share with Writers- as they cannot access during those times for Screen Captures, etc.
IV. Resources
- Garner support and SMEs via Tiger/SME Teams or thru Functional Council as additional resources for initial efforts
- Identify documentation lead per module
- Identify documentation team per module- existing, past, or current features (ideally a rep from each spec team, or testers)
- Like "testers", add documentation rep as assignment to each spec handoff, and begin integrating into code review meetings with SME teams
- Regular meetings and training
- Allow each module to have own meetings, organization, manage assignment
- Monthly meetings at beginning of release for "touch base" with all writers/all modules
- Bi-weekly documentation meetings (across all modules, and leads) in 1 month before release, and 2 months after release up to publishing date
- Create sandbox for shared documents (schedules, training material, templates, and sandboxes for each module's user documentation drafts)
- Training (how to, templates, best practices, checklists)
- Don't leave to last minute!
- Solicit help from other SMEs & manage mini writing assignments where helpful!