Dear STC India Community,

As we gear up for the upcoming STC India Conference, we're thrilled to share how a single innovative idea sparked significant change here at Medidata-A Dassault Systemes brand. The theme "The Power of One" resonates deeply with our journey in implementing the Documentation Development Life Cycle (DDLC) alongside our established Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

The Spark of Change

In collaboration with my colleague Susan Kelley, we identified a critical opportunity to enhance our documentation process, which had been operating more traditionally. Recognizing that our SDLC didn't fully address the unique needs of our documentation efforts, we introduced DDLC to create a more streamlined, efficient workflow.

Our approach revolved around four key segments of documentation:

• Release Notes: Customer-facing and regulated, edited only at the release boundary.

• Knowledge Space: Confluence environment for back-end drafts that are editable at any time.

• Knowledge Hub: The polished, customer-facing content that draws from the Knowledge Space.

• Pendo: Our feature for release announcements and tracking customer usage.

A Structured Time Cycle

To facilitate the new documentation process, we developed a structured time cycle that ensures clarity and consistency at every stage:

1. Planning

2. Learning and Prewriting (Week 1)

3. Writing and First Review (Weeks 1-2)

4. Second Draft and Engagement Review (Week 3)

5. Final Edits and Publishing (Week 4)

Each phase has specific objectives and success measures, allowing us to track progress and maintain high-quality standards. For example, during the Learning/Prewriting phase, our goal is for the technical writer to fully understand the product features, with success measured by prompt feedback from the product team and creating necessary Jira tickets.

Collaboration and Accountability

A pivotal aspect of our initiative was the creation of a RACI matrix for DDLC. This matrix clarified roles and responsibilities, fostering accountability between the technical writing, product, and engagement teams. With defined expectations, we see improved communication, turnaround times, and overall content accuracy.

Impact and Future Directions

Since implementing DDLC, we've experienced transformative results (note that we have used this for 2-3 cycles so far, so the transformation has been quick but not time-tested). Initial review times have decreased significantly, content accuracy has consistently surpassed 90%, and we have streamlined the feedback cycle to under 48 hours. This alignment between teams has enhanced our documentation quality and enriched our overall product development process.

As we present our experience at the STC India Conference, we hope to inspire others to embrace the "Power of One" within their organizations. One idea, one collaborative effort, and one dedicated approach can lead to remarkable transformations.

We look forward to connecting with fellow professionals at the conference and sharing more about our journey. Let's harness the power of our collective insights to drive further innovation in technical communication!