Software Documentation within the SaaS World

Software Documentation within the SaaS World

This is the time of SaaS. the concept of computer code has modified tons for the past I might say 10 years. Sure, we have a tendency to still install computer code on our PC’s and laptops, however, we have a tendency to tend to use services a lot more: Google Mail, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube - we have a tendency to all get pleasure from them on a daily basis. this suggests that technical writers within the IT trade were pushed to alter, too. though we have a tendency to square measure still talking a few pretty similar development expertise, it’s not precisely the same. Let’s take a glance at what modified within the technical writing method once the globe captive to SaaS.

Crazy unleash Schedule

Obviously, even technical writers making user manuals for traditional on-premise computer code required to hurry up. Agile processes dictate that a replacement unleash seems as quickly as doable. It is often once a month, once in a fortnight, or faster. SaaS tools will get updates daily. Releases square measure mushrooming, and documentation groups got to reorganize their work to be ready to deliver documentation timely. however, will this be achieved? The key to success is building economical collaboration and cooperation. Your facilitate authoring tool has to enable flexibility once it involves document progress and review processes. The mind-set ought to shift towards this new agile SaaS model. you would like to hunt out opportunities of reusing content a lot of - this enables change user manuals a lot of quicker. Here’s an honest article on reusing content.

Moreover, technical documentation has gone online, which allows tech writers to speed up the publishing process drastically. For SaaS services, it is natural - online tools have online documentation. PDF isn’t the best solution here. Another side is that earlier vendor had to publish tons of unleash documentation right away. That was advanced once they had a whole lot or thousands of topics that required to be prepared right away. Now, you’ll be able to publish and update merely a few topics rather than generating an entire new documentation package. It’s doable initial to update simply the foremost widespread topics (based on the recognition statistics) and shortly, once the discharge, to urge back to the remainder of them. The correct facilitate authoring tool can assist you to do all that. On prime of that, documentation tools like Ahy Consulting supply the Conditional Content feature that permits making totally different versions of documentation from an equivalent supply project: user docs, admin docs, partner docs, etc. With frequent releases and also the lack of your time, this helps technical writers update a lot of user guides quicker.

More Integration

Today, the word ‘integration’ encompasses a special that means. Even SaaS tools and services had to be told the way to integrate with one another. As for technical documentation, it undoubtedly ought to be integrated with the SaaS service it describes. the foremost common resolution is that individual pages of your product might contain hyperlinks to specific docs to assist users to get the relevant info quickly. If you have got the context to facilitate popups or assistant panels - that’s even higher. however what you furthermore may get to concentrate on is what your technical documentation appearance like once your docs square measure integrated together with your SaaS computer code, users expect them to seem sort of a part of the service they’re mistreatment. it’s natural - style, layout, colors, fonts - all that matters. concentrate on those aspects to form seamless expertise between your cloud product and your documentation pages.

As I actually have already mentioned, there could also be documentation for various audiences - end-users, developers, partners, etc. These could also be altogether totally different, and one audience mustn’t have access to any or all these user guides. this can be another smart integration purpose between a SaaS product and your documentation system. Your SaaS service “knows” UN agency the present user is predicated on their profile, and it will show totally different documentation links for various audiences, this can be smart. however if you’d wish to defend your on-line documentation supported by the audience, authentication ought to even be integrated. Folks that log in to your system ought to mechanically get access to the user guides, supporting their role and profile info. The only Sign-On (SSO) technology could also be terribly handy during this case:

You can limit the users’ access to documentation and show them simply the net guides they’re speculated to scan. Those manuals that don’t seem to be meant for explicit kinds of users might solely puzzle them.

SSO can give users a transparent authorization method. If users square measure licensed in your product, they’ll mechanically be licensed in your documentation portal. If you’d wish to perceive however SSO works, scan this text - it explains the technology nicely: however Single check-in Works - Explained.

SaaS period

SaaS solutions have tons of benefits once it involves maintenance. the most important one is that you simply don’t get to influence updates the least bit. Vendors can do this for you. You retreat to your SaaS tool and see that it’s been updated and is prepared for work - that’s it. No installation, no downloading. The question seems - ought to technical documents be hosted severally from your cloud solution? so, that creates tons of sense and may assist you to decrease the period for documentation. whereas your SaaS service is off for maintenance, your on-line documentation can still be out there and should even have a notification bar concerning the upkeep work.

Conclusion

Once you begin engaged on a SaaS documentation project, you’ll perceive that the correct tools square measure completely necessary. The Ahy Consulting Team has been building an answer for school writers to use in several spheres of package. And, making SaaS documentation is one in each of the tasks our facilitate authoring tool will dead. it’ll provide you with the chance to excellent your progress by investing in the cooperation and collaboration options it provides. you’ll be ready to host your docs within your cloud Ahy Consulting portal granting readers access via SSO. Being a school author during a SaaS project could be overwhelming, particularly if you’re coming back from the on-premise computer code background. however, if you place your mind to that and choose the correct instruments, you may set the project on its path to success.

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