I routinely communicate to clients the importance of having clear and thorough documentation for your technology systems and processes. Strong documentation helps ensure our operations run smoothly, enables effective troubleshooting, and makes onboarding new team members or contractors easier.

Here are 6 tips for starting and/or improving your tech documentation:

1. Just Start With A List: Don't overthink it - the first step is simply to start documenting what you have with a list. Set a timer for 15 or 30 minutes and make a list of all the different systems, applications, workflows, and procedures you need to cover. This gives you a framework to build upon.
2. Draw How Things Work: Sketch visual diagrams that illustrate how your technology components and processes fit together. This helps people quickly understand the big picture and how different elements interact.
3. Define How Data Flows: Document the path data takes as it moves through your systems. Where does it originate? How is it transformed or combined with other data sources? Clearly mapping data flows makes it easier to identify bottlenecks or redundancies.
4. Identify Redundancy: As you document your tech environment, you may uncover duplicate or overlapping processes. Take the time to streamline and consolidate where possible - this will simplify your documentation and make it more efficient.
5. Include Others: Don't try to do it all yourself. Involve your team (or contractors) in the documentation process. Their hands-on experience can provide valuable insights and ensure the documentation is comprehensive.
6. Update Regularly: Technology is constantly evolving, so make sure to review and refresh your documentation on a regular cadence. This keeps it current and useful for your organization. Set na task or calendar item every a few times a year to revisit (quarterly may be ideal, if possible).

These tips should help you improve your tech documentation efforts. As always, let me know if you have any other questions or want my direct help!

Yours in tech,

—Joshua