The mindset of how most people first approach technical documentation, including myself, is perfectly summed up into a piece of popular wisdom, saying:
Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Totally explainable. Up to a point.
Technical documentation seems to take perfectly functional lines of code and break them down into boring, useless explanations.
Plus, if you are the developer who wrote the code, it’s only natural to think you will make sense of what your very own logic produced. And if you’re not, then you probably can find out by ringing that guy at any time of the working days, and even on the weekends. Let’s face it, you’re close enough. You’re one of the few team members of a tech company so small that it doesn’t have a technical writer.
But maybe that’s just the problem.
What your growth strategy lacks is a more user-oriented approach.
Why develop documentation?#
Technical manuals and documentation go beyond explaining how to use an app or any other product. They are the number-one signal of how much effort you devote to UX design. And UX design, in turn, indicates how much your users matter—which should be a lot.
So do you want to generate more traction for your business?
Then maybe a ReadMe is what you need.
If it sounds far-fetched, then let’s take a look at one of the most popular companies that produce hardware and break down their technical process into a step-by-step technical guide. And that is Ikea. OK, maybe that’s not a regular hardware manufacturer, but it’s close enough. And there certainly is a solid, worldwide fanbase the company has.
One of the reasons why is the usability of their products.
The best thing about Ikea is also the worst: their very detailed, almost never-ending instruction manuals. As soon as you open an Ikea manual, putting together the pieces of a chair seems like rocket science. That’s because they take their documentation very seriously. But it’s only when trying to switch to other brands that you realize how useful those stacks of explicit instructions really are.
A 3-step guide to gain more customers through documentation#
If you want to achieve the same attachment to your products, follow for your documentation the same set of 3 easy principles that Ikea applies in their manuals.
1. Focus on your user#
A lot of companies make the error of getting the engineers or product designers to write the documentation for themselves. But actually, they know their products too well. So, they don’t find it necessary. They always delay until the very end, don’t put much time into making it and leave out many important aspects.
Don’t worry, this is a frequent mistake.
Fix it easily by switching from a developer perspective to a user perspective. They might look alike but differ greatly.
2. See the bigger picture#
You need the consumer, or the end user, to understand how they relate to the technology you offer. And as soon as they do so, they’re hooked.
Good documentation increases customer loyalty and ensures that they will buy your other products in the future. It can also be a great selling tool for prospective customers because it gives them a clear idea of how they might use your product, and what they could achieve with it.
So get out of your box. Zoom out. Don’t disregard your customer’s emotions. In the end you’ll have to adopt a broader view anyway, and if it takes you too long, the sight won’t be a delight.
3. Never too many details#
Quality user information is the most cost-effective way of answering the questions that your customers will encounter when using your product; otherwise they’ll call you for the answer, a far more expensive solution.
Let’s go back to Ikea. How could they deal with offering support to every customer who doesn't know which screw goes where? They couldn’t. And it’s more than understandable why they wouldn’t.
Good documentation is an essential part of the complete package, not an afterthought or last-minute addition. Put aside time to create it all along the development of the product.
You designed your product with high design values and attention to detail – now apply the same standards to your documentation.
There’s more to documentation than your user#
I know what you’re thinking: it seems like my ramble amounted to nothing.
That is not what I’m saying. The 3 principles built around your customer will prove to be very useful as a sales technique for your product and as a business growth tool.
What I’m saying is, it gets better.
Good documentation also works as an internal tool, both after it’s completed and in the process of creating it. Putting information together will help bring everyone in your team on the same page.
Moreover, it boosts the flexibility of your work environment, allowing employees to work hours that differ from the normal company start and stop time. That’s because everybody knows everything about everything, since all knowledge is centralized in the same place.
At Archbee, we always hear from our customers that our documentation software has the most impact on the quality of collaboration inside teams. Empowering people to work real-time on the same documents really gives them the feeling of being part of a community, as well as a sense of security. Everybody knows where to go for accountable data. Documentation is always reliable and works as a community aggregator.
TURN STATIC DOCS INTO INSTANT ANSWERS
Build beautiful knowledge portals that are easy to navigate, search and share
Conclusion#
Whatever product or system you’re writing documentation for, people reading it go through a mental journey of learning, understanding and applying that documentation. Be it your users or your own team, use the information that’s already in your company to help you scale up to the next level.
At the end of the day, internal documentation isn’t just about providing instruction manuals for your company’s products or services; it’s a means of communication. While it may feel like it’s an incredibly time-consuming, boring piece of paperwork that nobody is going to read, it’s actually something that is essential to keeping any business running smoothly. When it’s available, thorough, and well written, people will read what is necessary to know how todo their jobs correctly. And if you want your organization to run as smoothly as possible, that’s a good place to start.
Also, the next time someone asks why you're sticking with the tedious process of writing technical documentation, you can respond by asking, 'When was the last time you googled for Ikea instructions?'
That should do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short version: Docs feel hard because they’re competing with deadlines, lack clear owners, change constantly, and the value isn’t immediately visible. They get easier when you treat them like part of delivery, assign ownership, reduce friction, and measure impact.
Why it feels like a chore
- Competing priorities: Shipping features beats writing about them.
- No clear owner: If everyone owns docs, no one does.
- Moving targets: Rapid product changes make docs feel outdated fast.
- Tooling friction: Blank pages, scattered sources, and no style guide slow you down.
- The curse of knowledge: When you already know it, documenting feels redundant.
How to make it easier (and keep it that way)
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Write for one user and one outcome: Define audience, top task, and success criteria before you start.
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Bake docs into delivery: Add them to your Definition of Done and PR templates.
Definition of Done (docs) - User-facing change? Doc updated or marked N/A - PR links to doc page or changelog - Screenshots or CLI examples validated - Release notes mention impact on users -
Assign ownership: Name a DRI per area with a review cadence and simple SLAs.
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Keep it lightweight: Use templates, a one-page style guide, and doc-as-code so updates ship with the product. Reuse snippets and diagrams-as-code.
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Put docs where work happens: Repos, build previews, in-app help, and chat or ticket links. Auto-create doc tasks from changelogs.
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Favor small, frequent edits: Timebox to 15–30 minutes, run doc sprints, and iterate instead of big-bang rewrites.
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Measure impact: Track ticket deflection, onboarding time to first value, search gaps, page feedback, and conversion from trials.
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Schedule maintenance: Quarterly audits with owners, reminders for stale pages, and a simple change log for visibility.
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Lower the writing barrier: Start with bullets and checklists, use active voice and short sentences, and front-load the outcome.
Do this and documentation turns from a last-minute tax into a reliable, low-effort habit that compounds value over time.
Yes. Great docs make your product easier to try, buy, and succeed with—and that shows up directly in acquisition, conversion, and retention.
Where growth comes from
- Faster onboarding: Clear quick starts and task guides shorten time to first value.
- Lower support costs: Common questions get answered up front, reducing tickets and escalations.
- Sales acceleration: Prospects self-educate and run POCs with fewer meetings; cycles shrink and win rates rise.
- Trust and brand lift: Thorough, accurate docs signal maturity, reliability, and customer empathy.
- Retention and expansion: Users discover more features, achieve outcomes, and stick around longer; expansion becomes easier.
- SEO and discoverability: How-to and troubleshooting content captures high-intent traffic and qualified buyers.
- Ecosystem growth: Strong API and integration docs attract partners and third-party builders.
What to track
- Activation: Time to first value, onboarding completion, setup success rate.
- Support: Ticket volume per account, deflection rate, top unresolved searches.
- Sales: Trial-to-paid conversion, win rate, time to close, POC success rate.
- Customer health: Retention, NRR and expansion, feature adoption and depth of use.
- Docs engagement: Search success rate, page ratings, task completion, bounce and exit rates.
Link these metrics to specific docs or journeys (for example, onboarding guide v2) to prove ROI and prioritize the next improvements.
Ikea proves that clarity beats complexity. Borrow these principles to make your docs effortless to follow:
- Start with the big picture: State what’s included, prerequisites, tools, estimated time, and skill level.
- One step at a time: Numbered, sequential steps with one clear action per step.
- Consistent visuals: Annotated screenshots or diagrams with orientation cues and consistent labels.
- Plain language: Short, active sentences that speak to you; minimize jargon.
- Prevent mistakes: Call out warnings, common pitfalls, and quick checks to confirm progress.
- Progressive disclosure: Offer a quick start for momentum, then link to deeper guides and references.
- Put help where work happens: In-app guidance, CLI help, context links, and an up-to-date README.
- Test with fresh eyes: Watch new users follow the steps; fix the friction you observe.
- Localize thoughtfully: Translate terms, respect regional formats, and adapt examples.
- Maintain like code: Version docs with releases, map changes to a changelog, and mark deprecations.
Starter template
Before you start - What you will build - Prerequisites and access - Tools, time estimate, skill level Box contents (or components) - List parts and versions Steps 1. Do this 2. Do that 3. Validate with a quick check Troubleshooting - Symptom → cause → fix Next steps - Link to advanced guides and referencesThe payoff: fewer support calls, faster success, and stronger attachment to your product.
Good internal docs act as a force multiplier for every team—fewer interruptions, faster decisions, and smoother collaboration.
Benefits you’ll feel quickly
- Shared understanding: Decisions, context, and architecture are captured once.
- Faster onboarding: Role guides and setup steps cut ramp time dramatically.
- Async collaboration: Fewer status pings and smoother work across time zones.
- Operational reliability: Runbooks and SOPs reduce MTTR and variability.
- Resilience: Knowledge is not trapped with one person; the bus factor drops.
- Cleaner handoffs: Documented processes reduce rework and surprises.
- Cross-functional flow: Support, sales, marketing, and engineering use the same source of truth.
How to enable it
- Central, searchable hub: One place for handbooks, how-tos, ADRs, and runbooks.
- Standard templates: How-to, Runbook, ADR, On-call guide, Onboarding checklist.
- Clear ownership: DRI per domain, review cadence, and contribution guidelines.
- Integrations: Link docs from code, tickets, and chat; surface contextually where work happens.
- Findability: Tags, sensible information architecture, and a shared glossary.
- Light governance: Style guide, doc linting, analytics to spot gaps, and lifecycle states (draft, in review, published, deprecated).
- Low-friction contributions: PR-based edits and quick reviews keep knowledge fresh.
Runbook skeleton
Title and last reviewed date Purpose and scope Prerequisites and access Steps (with verification checks) Rollbacks and safety notes Monitoring and alerts Ownership and escalation Change historyInternal documentation should be your communication backbone—a living system that powers daily work and long‑term continuity.
What it provides
- One source of truth: Policies, processes, product knowledge, and decision history—searchable, versioned, and permissioned.
- Embedded in workflows: Linked in tickets, PRs, calendars, and runbooks; document it or it did not happen becomes a team norm.
- Compliance and continuity: Supports audits, security standards, and smooth transitions during growth or turnover.
- Cross-functional alignment: Product, engineering, support, sales, marketing, HR, and legal operate from the same facts.
Suggested information architecture
- Company handbook and policies
- Product and architecture (overviews, ADRs, diagrams)
- Processes and SOPs (sales, support, finance, HR)
- Runbooks and incident management
- Customer knowledge base and release notes
- Onboarding playbooks by role and team
- Decision log and meeting notes
Operating model
- Assign ownership and review SLAs per area.
- Use templates and a short style guide for consistency.
- Track usage and gaps; archive or update stale content.
- Maintain a change log and mark deprecated content clearly.
- Set lifecycle states: draft, in review, published, deprecated.
The outcome: smoother operations, fewer escalations, faster decisions, and a business that scales without losing context.