There is no universal point at which documentation work should begin. The right time depends on the documentation required, when it is needed during the project and when sufficiently stable source material is available.
Every project is different
Different projects place different demands on documentation work.
When documenting an existing product, the design is often stable and documentation work can begin at an early stage.
In a modification project, documentation work can often be divided into stages. The parts based on stable source material can be produced immediately, while documentation for the modified areas is planned as the necessary source material becomes available.
In a new development project, the design often continues to evolve throughout much of the project. Documentation work should therefore be planned so that the parts based on stable source material can be produced early, while sections that depend on ongoing development are completed later.
Divide the documentation delivery into stages
A common mistake is to regard the documentation as a single delivery.
In practice, a documentation project often consists of several natural stages.
Some publications must be completed in time for testing, training or phased deliveries. Others cannot be finalised until the design has been verified.
The documentation delivery should therefore be planned according to:
- when each publication is needed
- when sufficiently stable source material is available
Dividing the documentation work into stages reduces the risk of both delays and unnecessary rework.
The documentation delivery should be divided into several phased deliveries that follow the different stages of the project.
Collaboration is essential to keeping the project on schedule
A documentation project rarely stays on schedule through a good project plan alone.
Success depends on close collaboration between documentation specialists, engineers and project managers, supported by a shared understanding of the project’s status, upcoming changes and decisions that affect the documentation.
When changes are communicated in time and decisions are made collaboratively, it becomes much easier to determine when the source material is sufficiently stable for documentation to be produced.
This reduces rework and helps keep the project on schedule.
Effective collaboration enables the documentation to progress alongside the project instead of constantly trying to catch up.
Summary
There is no general rule for when documentation work should begin.
The key is to plan the work according to the availability of source material and when different publications need to be available.
In a well-planned documentation project, not all documentation is produced at the same time – the right documentation is delivered at the right time.
