WriteTheDocs 2017 – Requirements that you didn't know were there

Speaker: Lesia Zasadna

So sometimes the best response to ideal documentation is "Ehh, it's okay."

So, how do you make documentation great instead of good? How do you convince folks that documentation is even necessary?

Try to get your customers/partners excited about the big picture. You do that by figuring out their ultimate goal (the hidden requirements). This is especially difficult with new customers in a new environment.

First, try to get a map of who is involved with which project in which role. You are interested in two persons: first, the representative of the project who is your first point of contact (a product owner or someone similar). The second person is their supervisor, the person who requested this project to happen.

Be aware who your allies and competitors are. Consider relationships within your customer's teams. Consider also the personality types of the persons you're interacting with. Pay attention to their phrasing, and try to build a personal relationship.