For more successful writing, answer these discovery questions before you begin!
Audience
- Who will read this documentation? Are there multiple classes of users?
- What’s their level of education and skill? How much do they already know?
- What’s their attitude towards the system or process?
- What’s the reading and learning style of your audience?
Context
- What exactly have you been asked to deliver? Who asked for this?
- How much information do you have? From whom? How reliable is your information? Where can you go for more information?
- What other systems does this interact with?
- What are the critical parts of the system?
Purpose
- Are there any specific actions you want the reader to take?
- What’s going to prompt your reader to look for this information?
Presentation
- Where and how will your readers use this documentation?
- What’s the best way to present this? Can you use multiple forms or formats?
