How to Make a User Documentation Article
Overview
In this guide, you will learn how to make a KB(Knowledge Base) article. This step-by-step process will help you make a a KB article using a template and best practice.
Step 1: Decide what Category and Sub-category
- Description: While you can move an article after it is made it is easier to navigate exactly where you want the article in the first place.
Step 2: Choosing a template
- Description: In the template section of the body there are 3 different templates for user documentation
- Overview
- The overview template is for creating a document that gives a wider overview of what a software does and its purpose for a better understanding.
- How To
- The How to template covers a simple outline while making a how to (This article uses it)
- Troubleshooting
- The Troubleshooting template, use this if there is not already a troubleshooting section for your category/sub-category, otherwise additional troubleshooting should be added to the already existing troubleshooting document.
Step 3: Utilizing the Template
- While using a template it is a guideline in general you should follow its lay out and styling to have consistence with other articles .
- Use simple language to the best of your ability, remember everyone may not understand any technical descriptions or lingo to the same depth (Especially new hires)
- Screens shots are welcome and important for reading and understanding. However, over using screen shots can lead to long and messy documents. So use them within reason.
- IMPORTANT: Do not put any information in user documentation that could be a breach of privacy or a security risk (Names, passwords and other sensitive data)
Step 4: Using Tags
- Description: When you have finished filling out our article with the desired content, you need to give it tags. Tags are used to help categorize articles and make them easier to find using keywords in the search bar.
- Examples: Self-Service, Colleague, How-To, Troubleshooting, OneDrive, SharePoint, Pay, Onboarding, Offboading, Documents. Those are just an example list, there are more and if there is not one that works you may make a new one.
Step 5: Finishing and Submitting
- Lastly, write a short description of the purpose of the article, this will make it easier to find the most relevant article that someone may be looking for.
- Select a review date roughly a year from the date of creation and select, the 'Notify Own of review date' option
- Set the owner to the department you are in.
- Change the status to submitted and then save. Once submitted it is your managers role to check over any technical information is correct before the article is approved.
