Documentation covers both product and process development guidelines. Product documentation includes technical specifications, manuals, and commercial justifications, while process development includes everything produced during the creation process. In regulatory industries, documentation development is governed by SOPs and includes writing, formatting, submitting, tracking, and more.
When creating documentation, it’s crucial to use clear, concise language and avoid gender-specific terms and cultural biases. In procedures, steps should be numbered to increase clarity. The purpose of documentation is to serve as a guide for both internal and external stakeholders, helping them understand a process and bringing them up to speed without extensive training.
What is Product Documentation?
Product documentation covers technical specifications, manuals, and commercial justifications for a specific product. It provides detailed descriptions of the product and its features, as well as instructions on how to use it. Product documentation is aimed at both internal and external stakeholders, including management, employees, and customers.
What is Process Documentation?
Process documentation covers everything produced during the creation process of the product or service. It includes mandatory standards, broader project descriptions, plans, and general reports. Its purpose is to provide a step-by-step guide to each stage of the process and ensure consistency in the final product. Process documentation is vital for internal stakeholders, such as developers and project managers, to establish a clear development timeline.
Why is Documentation Important?
Documentation serves as a guide for both internal and external stakeholders, helping them understand a process, product specification, and features, without the need for training. It provides clarity and consistency across the product development process and ensures that everyone is on the same page, making it easier to solve potential issues. Moreover, appropriate documentation is often mandated in regulatory industries.
How to Create Effective Documentation?
To create effective documentation, use clear, concise language and avoid technical jargon and cultural biases. The steps in the process should be numbered, and each step should have a clear description. Documents should be easy to read and understand, with sentences limited to 15 words max. Consistency in formatting and styles should be maintained throughout the document to ensure clarity.
Conclusion
Documentation is an essential part of product and process development, which provides clarity and consistency across all stages of development. It helps internal and external stakeholders understand the process, product specifications, and the features of a product without extensive training. Documentation creation requires using clear, concise language, avoiding cultural biases, and technical jargon.
FAQs
Is it necessary to follow SOPs while creating documentation?
Yes, especially in regulatory industries, documentation creation is governed by appropriate SOPs to ensure quality and consistency.
What is the difference between process and product documentation?
Product documentation refers to the guidelines for the development of a product and the measures required for this. On the other hand, process development refers to everything produced during the creation process. The major difference between the two is that the former describes an object in detail, while the latter describes its creation timeline.
What are the best practices for creating documentation?
The best practices for creating documentation include using clear and concise language, avoiding technical jargon and cultural biases, numbering steps in the process, ensuring consistency in formatting, and using shorter sentences.
