Our Process
We will guide you through the process of putting together the documentation. You can be as engaged in the process as you want to be, but please be aware that your input will be required to supply the information and review the draft and final documentation. The time for each stage will vary depending on the complexity of the project.
1. Initial Consultation
We discuss at a high level the scope, timeframe and budget, so we can get an accurate understanding of what you want to get out of the process.
2. Planning
At this stage, we’ll scope and define the project, as well as work out details that are needed later.
It is tempting to skip this stage but it is arguably the most important. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.“
Purpose: Get everyone on the same page and make sure we’re going in the right direction to get you to your destination.
Client input required: High
- What documents are needed, why, for whom and when – identify and define the audience
- How they will be produced – eg. print or digital, size & format.
- Assigning responsibilities
3. Structure
With input from you, we will sketch out the general structure of the document.
Output from this stage is a Table of Contents.
Purpose: Expand on what was agreed on in the Planning stage and start to build the document
Client Input Required: Medium
4. Write
We will do the heavy lifting at this stage and produce a draft of your document.
Purpose: This is where the document gets some meat on its bones.
Client Input Required: Low
5. Review
You or your staff review the draft, make mark-ups and we update accordingly.
Like a design project, we will likely iterate a bit between the ‘Write’ and ‘Review’ stages. The level of iteration is something we will discuss during the ‘Plan’ stage.
Purpose: Checking for technical accuracy and completeness.
Client Input Required: Medium
6. Publish
This stage varies quite a lot, depending on factors such as printed or digital delivery, among other things.
Purpose: Make the documents available to the people who need them.
Client Input Required: Low
Software
Our technical writing contractors use software that is fit for purpose including Adobe InDesign to produce high-quality printed and digital documents.
Solidworks, Inventor and other common CAD systems for generating product views, renders and drawings.
Pricing
In general, we work on a standard hourly rate which covers all standard expenses.
We can tailor our service to your budget and level of involvement, please discuss this with us during the initial consultation.
Where we have built up experience with your products and recurring documentation needs to be produced on a regular basis, we will move to a fixed price agreement to provide you with certainty
