Review and Edit Cycle in Technical Documentation

Developing technical documents involves several critical stages, and one of the most crucial parts is the review and edit phase. It is essential to determine a review team at the earliest during your Documentation Plan to ensure accuracy and completeness of your content. In this article, we’ll discuss some best practices to help you plan your review process effectively and ensure the success of your documentation project.

Challenges of a Review Cycle

One of the typical challenges of a review cycle is the responsiveness of the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who are allocated as reviewers. They are usually busy prioritizing their own project milestones, and approaching them for review is often left to the very end. Changes, additions, deletions, and compromises in an IT project are typically implemented as last-hour management decisions.

Plan a Review Cycle

To ensure a successful review cycle, you need to determine your review team at the earliest during your documentation plan. It’s best to split each review cycle into the Writing and Editing phase and the Review and Feedback phase. Come up with a review schedule and have your review team agree on the timelines. Determine at least three review cycles as First Draft, Second Draft, and Release.

Types of Reviews

There are different types of reviews that you need to consider during your review cycle. These include:

• Technical Review: This type of review ensures that the content is correct, complete, and comprehensive.
• Copy Review: This type of review ensures that the content is written using standard English and grammar.
• Design Review: This type of review ensures that the content structure, style guide, and formatting aspects are consistent.
• Audience Review: This type of review ensures that the content is searchable, readable, and localized appropriately.

Conclusion

Review and edit cycle is an essential part of technical documentation. As a technical writer, you need to plan your review process, come up with a review calendar, and make enough time for reviews and edits. Ensure to consider the challenges of the review cycle and plan accordingly to overcome them. By following these tips and best practices, you can ensure that your technical documents are accurate, complete, and comprehensive.