How do you revise technical docs for product updates?

2 Use version control

Version control is a system that tracks and manages the changes made to your files, such as code, images, or documents. It allows you to create different versions of your files, compare them, merge them, or revert them if needed. Version control is especially useful for revising technical docs, as it helps you keep track of what has changed, who has changed it, and when. It also enables you to collaborate with other writers or reviewers, and to publish or archive your docs as needed. You can use various tools for version control, such as Git, SVN, or Mercurial.

3 Update content and format

Once you have a plan and a version control system in place, you can start updating your content and format according to the product updates. It's important to update the content to reflect the new or changed functionality, features, or behavior of the product. Make sure to explain how the updates benefit the users, and provide clear and accurate instructions, examples, and screenshots. Additionally, you should update the format to ensure consistency, readability, and usability of your docs. This means following the same style, tone, and terminology throughout your docs, as well as using headings, lists, tables, and other elements to organize and highlight your information. Finally, update the metadata to help users and search engines find and access your docs. This includes elements such as title, description, keywords, date, author, and version. You should also update any links, cross-references, or indexes that may be affected by the updates.

4 Test and review

Once you have updated your content and format, it's important to test and review your docs to make sure they are accurate, complete, and user-friendly. You should test your docs on the actual product or a realistic simulation to ensure that your instructions, examples, and screenshots match the product behavior and appearance. Additionally, you should make sure that your docs cover all the possible scenarios, use cases, and errors that users may encounter. Furthermore, you should review your docs for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style. Tools such as Grammarly, Hemingway, or ProWritingAid can help with this task, but you should also proofread your docs manually or ask someone else to do it for you. Finally, you should review your docs for feedback, suggestions, or questions from your users, colleagues, or experts. You can use tools such as Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Adobe Acrobat to enable comments, annotations, or revisions on your docs. Alternatively, you can use platforms such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket to allow pull requests, issues, or discussions on your docs.