For technical documentation and IT courseware projects, our methodology starts with an outline of the project content. After the client approves the outline, our team of technical writers, editors, and information designers begin drafting and refining the content deliverables based on the outline, using client- or industry-specific style guides and other tools.

After our technical writing and editing team creates a complete draft, we submit the draft to the client to start the feedback-revision cycle of the project. All team members and the customer provide input on the content as well as the look and feel of the final deliverables. After the project team addresses all significant feedback to the satisfaction of the client, all parties approve the completed content deliverables. Final versions are delivered to the customer, which signals completion of the project.

For more information about the individual phases of this process, click the boxes in the following flow chart.

Outline Creation

An outline is created using the information from the approved SOW and the kickoff meeting. The outline maps to the project objectives and provides a flow and level of detail that allows the technical writer to effectively draft required content to support the heading structure of the document.

Outline Delivery

The outline is delivered to the customer for review and feedback. Customer feedback is then incorporated into the outline, and the outline is resubmitted for final review. The outline review process continues until the customer approves the outline.

Then, based on the outline, the technical writer conducts research and collects information to start drafting the content deliverables. Graphics are developed as needed to support the content as specified in the outline. When the first draft is complete, the team reviews the content and then hands it off to the editing team.

Document Edits

The editing team performs developmental and substantive edit cycles on the content based on the style guide requirements for the project. A subsequent copy edit is performed to address grammatical and readability issues. A legal edit also may be performed if required for the project. The writer reviews the proposed changes of each edit pass, and the documentation undergoes a team review before the updated draft is delivered to the customer.

Draft Delivery

The team delivers the complete draft to the customer for review. The customer provides feedback using comments and revision marks in the technical documentation. Occasionally a meeting is required to review the feedback before the writer makes the requested changes. After the writer incorporates feedback, the content goes through a final edit pass before the team delivers it to the customer. The feedback and revision cycle continues until the content is considered complete.

Final Delivery

The final version is delivered to the customer and the project is considered complete.