Essential Guide to Internal Documentation

Imagine that one person who helped you since day one. Explained to you how things work, helped in clearing your doubts at each step, always guided you with necessary resources, and answered all your burning questions. Now imagine he is retiring or moving away, and you’ll be losing all the treasure trove of knowledge that you always relied on.

What will your reaction be? Panicking, right?

That knot in your stomach while thinking about it is proof of how important internal documentation is. Before this situation arrives, let’s dive into everything you need to know about internal documentation and its impact on your team/organization. Remember, the best time to fix a leaky roof is when the sun is shining.

Let’s gooo and start fixing it already.

What is Internal Documentation?

Having internal documentation in your organization is like having a superhero handbook ready for the team. Clear and detailed instructions for anything that you need at any hour. Think of it as a guide that ensures everyone knows what their role is, what their KRAs are, and which direction they have to move into for maximum impact.

Wait, are you thinking about techy stuff like coding and IT when you think of internal documentation? Hold on.

Internal Documentation is a superpower that can benefit EVERY part of your company, from HR to marketing to customer service to operations and whatnot!

Whether you are mapping out a workflow for a new feature/product or outlining the steps to handle customers’ queries, internal documentation can keep your workflow streamlined and smooth.

Why use documentation?

Many organizations miss out on understanding the importance of internal documentation until one or the other thing ends up in a mess. Don’t believe us? Statistics show that only 4% of companies document all their processes, the rest do it occasionally or avoid it altogether.

Before you end up being a part of the rest 96%, let us take you through a couple of reasons that will convince you to utilize internal documentation as quickly as possible.

Faster turnarounds, less hassle

Imagine doing a complicated task at work- sending monthly reports to clients. How would you like to approach it? To do everything from scratch or to pick up from last month’s reports with additional support from guidebooks on how to make reports?

Of course, it will be easier if you have a handy book ready for it. This is where internal documentation can help you in filling out reports, setting up meetings, running trial and error, and whatever else is needed to run operations smoothly.

Boost your onboarding game

Did you know that not all employees are happy with their onboarding experiences and only 12% feel that their organization is good at it? Imagine the first day at work and feeling lost there, it is just not the best mindset for anyone to start at a new workplace.

Internal documentation can give new team members a sudden spike of confidence before they dive into their roles. It cannot and should not be treated as a substitute for personal mentoring but can help new joiners hit the ground running.

Share the knowledge

Okay, this is pretty common in organizations where certain people lead projects. A lot of crucial information stays in people’s heads which is why the respective team faces a few months of setback when a person of expertise leaves.

Wait, did you know that 42% of employees say the knowledge they need at work is unique to their colleagues?

This is why documenting what’s in those minds is crucial. It breaks down silos, spreads knowledge across teams, and makes more people capable of working with the same or better expertise. This also helps in making transitions run smoothly.

So, whether you are welcoming newbies, planning feature launches, setting up better workflows, or ensuring knowledge sharing, internal documentation is your secret weapon to keep things running as smoothly as butter.

What Are the Different Types of Internal Documentation?

Internal documentation is a widely used term. It can mean different things to different people in the organization. Let’s break it down into various types as per the requirement.

Process Documentation

Think of your team’s GPS that has all the details, lays out rules, and helps in navigating with step-by-step guides and checklists. Process documentation is your organization’s GPS that helps in getting things done efficiently and seamlessly.

Project Documentation

We are certain that a lot of organization has this or something similar already in place where they capture the company’s big adventures, highs and lows, and the overall journey in general. Think about going into a little more detail and documenting all details about a project - from the initial idea to the way forward, meeting time, risks, pitfalls, potential hiccups, etc. Project documentation can be one single resource where all the details and strategies live.

Technical Documentation

Imagine a guidebook that dives deep into the software, IT setups, product specs, and how everything works behind the scenes. If you are thinking this is just specific to tech wizards, let us correct you. Technical documentation is that blueprint that can be understandable to laymen trying to understand how things work.

HR Documentation

This is your rulebook for what everyone does and how they play the team. Straight from HR-related things such as onboarding newbies, company policies, and training guides, to permutations and combinations with solutions on what to do when things get tricky. It’s your go-to source for understanding how things work around.

So whether you are leading projects, understanding tech stuff, navigating workflows, or just getting used to how things work in the organization, internal documentation can help you with all of it and make you feel how easy it is to operate if you have a documentation plan in place.

Benefits of Internal Documentation

If you haven’t derived it by now, let us help you by listing down each benefit precisely that you can use to propose the importance of internal documentation at your organization.

Supercharged teamwork and knowledge sharing 

Can you imagine your team communicating seamlessly without regular chats and meetings?

No, right? It’s possible, but only with internal documentation in place.

Internal documentation can literally ensure everyone is on the same page! From knowing the work processes to gaining useful insights, all the smart stuff is in there, waiting to be explored.

Zooming through onboarding 

Building a new team and worried about how to channel the onboarding? Don’t worry!

Internal documentation can hit the ground running faster than a speeding bullet. Newbies will know the ins and outs of the company in no time. Of course, they will figure out the details later, but they will be in a good position to start on the right foot. This will not just be beneficial to the company but will boost the employee’s confidence and make them stick around longer.

Turbocharged productivity

Imagine if it's noon or 3 AM in the night and someone from your team has a question and no one is available to answer it. What if we say that they can get their answers whenever they want?

With internal documentation, this is possible. No more waiting around digging for more time and using it for things that matter more - planning new strategies and crushing new goals!

Lightning-fast decision-making

Usually, decisions are made with facts from the past and a vision for the future. If both these things are well documented in one place, it’s quicker than ever to come to a rightful decision. You can now bid adieu to endless debates and move toward informed decisions for the organization.

Avoid the technical ‘oops’

When you are building or tweaking products, it’s definite to go through a few tech slip-ups through the process. Internal documentation can help protect your work processes and company from costly mishaps. Not just this, but your tech wizards will be enabled to focus on innovating.

Smarter learning curve

When you document better, you learn better. Simple, isn’t it?

Every project teaches us something and if you don’t document it right, the learning will soon be lost with time. Remember, internal documentation helps in avoiding repeating similar blunders and pushes you towards continuous improvement and sharper skills.

Easy to access information

Remember juggling for information here and there when you needed it for an important project? Forget the wild goose chase and dive into the world of organized documentation. Think of one reliable hub i.e. internal docs that will help you with neatly placed content which requires just a few clicks to reach any information you need.

So, whether you’re leveling up teamwork, speeding up decisions, or safeguarding against goofs, internal documentation is your company’s secret weapon for staying ahead of the curve.

How to Write Clear and Useful Internal Documentation

Creating internal documentation isn't just about having a bunch of files stored somewhere in the system. To make it truly valuable, your docs need to be:

1. Fresh & Accurate: Keep your docs always updated and spot-on, not stale at all. As soon as an update comes in, it has to go on those docs. You can think about putting one person’s bandwidth on constantly updating things there.
2. Easy to Access: Your docs should be right there when you want them to be when you need them. Make them as accessible as those packets of snacks in the break room. Just a few steps away! 
3. Complete & Concise: Think of all your internal docs like a well-packed suitcase which has everything you need, when you need it. Say goodbye to confusion and constant juggling between guides to get the right information and say hello to the world of organized documentation.
4. Visual Delights: Who likes looking at lengthy text full of information? Nobody! Now and since forever, visual content has always caught the eye better than just text. So go on and add screenshots, flowcharts, GIFs, and maybe even memes (if your company guidelines allow).
5. Living Documents: Think of your internal docs as valuable flowers and treat them like they grow in a garden, not a dusty old book. They are supposed to continuously evolve with your team. Just as you would water the flowers every day to keep them fresh and blooming, work and similarly update your internal docs.

And hey, remember, writing docs is a team effort. Get everyone involved and watch your documentation flourish like a well-tended garden!

Examples of Internal Documentation

Let us take you through a set of examples of internal documentation that will help you understand where and how you can apply all of this information that we stuffed you with.

Process Documentation

This is like creating a detailed guide for your team which acts like a recipe for the success of the organization. Process documentation comprises a step-by-step procedure from the initial steps to the final output. You can document it and leave it for the folks to find in the form of policies, checklists, tutorials, forms, etc. 

If you are new and starting with process documentation for the first time, you can start by documenting any task that has been done more than once or has been completed by multiple people. Once you duplicate the process in your documentation, it’s easier to pick it up from there for other activities.

Project Documentation

It might be a project manager’s least favorite task to perform, but this is the only task that can make the rest of them as easy as searching for a red flower in a garden. You have to start simply by recording the key project details and producing the documents created throughout the project. Under the umbrella of project documentation comes project proposal, project charter, project plan, project status report, etc.

Employee Handbook

This is nothing complicated, just a resource compiling all the policies, processes, requirements, expectations, procedures, etc in a workplace. Also known as the staff handbook, this helps in translating your company’s vision and goals to the new joiners and sets the expectations right from day one. Not only this, it also provides answers and guidelines for HR-related questions, prevents legal cases, etc.

How can Internal Documentation Software help?

At its core, the purpose of internal documentation in an organization is to centralize all resources in one place, update it regularly, and use it at its maximum efficiency to achieve the company’s goals faster. To be precise, there are many ways in which it can help you. Let’s take a look at it.

Maximize software and data investments: If everyone on your team is well aware of how the software (purchased/created by the organization) works and how to make the most of it, they will be utilizing it at their maximum efficiency for business as usual. Moreover, there is a high chance they might use it for new initiatives that can bring the organization closer to its goals.

Aligns a distributed workforce: Internal documentation helps you to keep all the folks in the organization on the same page. As everyone is using the same centralized resources, it will be easier for them to coordinate, save time, and come up with faster innovations.

Accelerates pace of change: Imagine when you have a new big change coming in the organization, you are already scared of how quickly will the folks adapt to it. In such situations, if you update these changes in the centralized resources that everyone accesses, it fastens the process of adapting to change.

Helps you onboard newbies: Onboarding newbies becomes much easier when you have internal docs in place. Bid adieu to long training calls, and spoon-feeding the freshers. Just share the repository and plan some walkthrough sessions (if needed). 

Ready to revolutionize your internal documentation?

Get started with Documentation AI today and experience the difference firsthand. Sign up now for free and see how Documentation AI can transform your workflow.