How Do You Document Technical Procedures?

ChadDa3mon writes "I work for a large MSSP type operation and we deal with a plethora of vendors, versions, and .... skill sets. We're facing a critical problem as we grow when trying to deal with these varying degrees of technical competency. The end result is we're getting to the point where we have to document every procedure and process, no matter how mundane or 'common sense' it may seem." How, ChadDa3mon wants to know, can complex skills be documented to account for various users? Read on for more details of what he's seeking. "I've got a picture of how I'd like this to work in my head, but I can't find any software out there that seems to go along with it. I'm a big fan of keeping things simple, so I'd like to start with high level overviews. Each step in the process would be a general statement like 'Look for valid traffic on the monitoring interface'. For those who already know what 'valid traffic' means, it's easy to follow. However, if there was someone who was unsure what it meant, there would be a link they could click on that would pop open a new window (or something similar) explaining in detail what we're looking for and how to find it. It's my hope that using this process, people aren't just blindly running commands, but gaining an understanding into what that command is, and why we use it, what to be aware of, etc.

This seems like a job for a flow chart, but I don't like the setup of any of the ones I've used, such as Visio. It could also maybe fulfilled by a wiki, but there's so many out there I don't know where to start. I have to assume I'm not the only person who's facing a problem like this, so I'm hoping someone else out there can make some recommendations."

Comments

Text document

[tsa]

I just use a text document with point-for-point descritions on how to follow the procedure. It's practical because you can print it and take it to the workfloor and cross the points you've finished. When you find out something new you can easily write it on the paper and add it in the computer file later on. Just make sure there is only one person maintaining the file, to avoid chaos and misunderstandings.

Folding + Wiki might get you closer

[Red Storm]

I was reading through some of the Trac hacks for the wiki component and they had a folding plugin. If you create a table of steps you could then create a "fold" with greater detail should someone want to open it up and see it. The nice thing is you are not taken to a new page and you can continue to work and read the page you are already on. You can also imbed folds which can also allow a user to drill down to as much or as little detail as is needed or available.

All that is left now is to write enough information for the lowest common denominator.

Re:bad

[ChadDa3mon]

I think you misunderstood what I'm saying. I'm not documenting this for 'my' job, nor am I worried about my job security. I am trying to write documentation for 150 people around the world to follow so that we're all doing things the same way.

Re:the easier to edit the better

[JCSoRocks]

A wiki is perfect for this. You can write simple step-by-step instructions for the more experienced techs. Within those you can easily integrate links explaining processes and terminology that aren't understood by the new guys. You also get the free benefit of searchable change tracking. You're not going to get that from a text file or a visio document.