Our approach to technical writing and documentation development covers nine major stages. A brief overview of each stage has been summarized below:

Requirements Gathering and Audience Analysis
Our client-focused documentation process begins with identifying the document's requirements and its intended audience. Our seasoned writers will work with you to:

• Clearly define the intended purpose and scope of the document.
• Identify the target audience(s).
• Identify presentation and delivery media requirements.
• Identify applicable business use cases.
• Outline the document's instructional design (if applicable).

Content Specification and Presentation Design
Based on the requirements gathered and discussed in phase one, we will prepare a complete content specification of the document which will serve as the blue print for the document's development process. Included with the specification is a complete visual mock-up of the document's presentation design.

• The content specification includes a preliminarily outline of all topics and subtopics.
• The page design mock-up serves as a template for the remainder of the document.
• For web-based documents, we will specify the user interface design and navigation of the document in an online environment.

Information Gathering and Interviews
Following your sign-off on the content specification, our writers proceed to gather all preliminary information required to begin the writing process. This stage includes activities such as:

• Observations of software/technical processes.
• Acquisition and analysis of existing content/documentation.
• Interviews with subject matter experts (where applicable).

Preliminary Draft Development
Armed with the approved document outline and necessary information sources, our writing teams develop a preliminary draft for your review. The draft includes:

• Carefully analyzed and presented content for each topic in the outline -- all content is written to meet the specification (phase 2).
• Comments and questions embedded throughout the document that identify content gaps and inconsistencies and that recommend additional information you may want to include to aid the clarity and detail of the document.

Second Draft Development
Based on your review and approval of the first draft, we will develop a second draft that:

• Incorporates your feedback on the first draft.
• Incorporates answers to the questions/comments made in the first draft.
• Is rigorously revised and tweaked by our editors for grammar, language, style, consistency, and spelling.

Usability Verification and Validation (optional)
As an optional service, Comspec will work with your company to test the document with a group of representative users to ensure:

• The document contains the information users need and expect.
• The information is accurate.
• The document meets all content requirements and specifications.
• The information is easy for users to find and understand.

Proofreading
After incorporating any final edits or modifications suggested by the results of the document verification and validation process, your document is proofread again by objective editors to ensure that it is:

• Grammatically and linguistically correct.
• Consistent.
• Concise.
• Professional and easy to read.
• Suited to its intended audience.
• Complete and accurate.

Final Version Published
After the final proofread and edit, we will deliver the final document version to you in electronic form.

Document Maintenance and Content Management
As your application or processes evolve, Comspec can maintain your document to reflect the latest changes. We can also develop a content management strategy to suit your unique document and content needs.

We take pride in our ability to distil even the most technical business-oriented material and covey it in a form that is appropriate for both business and IT audiences.