Managing Tasks for Docs

The role of the Docs Project Manager is crucial to the success of our online documentation. This article describes the process and daily responsibilities this role has in managing all the tasks for online documentation maintenance and improvement.

Online Documentation is a never-ending and vast project that is ever-changing. The only way to ensure that work on docs is done efficiently with no overlap between technicians is to manage the tasks in a transparent and central place.

Properly managing our online docs requires the following:

• Managing Docs Feedback and Turning it into Tasks
• Managing and Tracking all Docs Tasks
• Reporting on the Work Done on Docs Weekly
• Coordinating with the Development Team

Managing Docs Feedback and Turning it into Tasks

We use the GiveWP feedback site for receiving and processing feedback for our online docs. The role of the Docs Project Manager is to process all incoming feedback and take action on it. That is done via three main steps:

1. Processing new feedback
2. Adding additional insight/context to existing feedback via internal and external comments
3. Adding docs to the Documentation Roadmap

Processing New Posts

As new posts come in, the Docs Project Manager will review them and update their status as the feedback gets action. Here is the list of actions and what they mean for us as a team:

• Open – this post has not yet been reviewed by the Docs Project Manager and needs attention.
• Under Review – this post has been reviewed by the Docs Project Manager and needs additional information or more feedback before becoming actionable.
• Planned – this post has been reviewed and has enough detail to begin work. This status is most often used for developer docs or large-scale docs that need significant planning before writing begins.
• In Progress – this post has been assigned and is actively being worked on.
• Complete – the work is done and published on the website.