“What should we document?”

When I advise organizations to start keeping their own internal documentation, one of the first questions is:

“What should we be documenting?”

Well, it doesn't have to be "everything."

But it probably should -- eventually -- cover:

• Frequently asked and re-asked questions about how to get something done within your system.
  Every organization has unique workflows.
  Unless you want your staff doing it differently every time, it's worth documenting.

• Definitions and policies you can't easily rattle off without a second thought.
  What's a "returning member"?
  What's the difference between those 12 separate permisson levels you've collected over the years?
  What to do if you find a security vulnerability?

• Contact info and account credentials for outside services and vendors.
  Who to call when your live sure goes down?
  How to log in to GoDaddy or Domain.com to manage your 33 custom domain names?

Those things start to matter when somebody's out sick,
or the goose poop really hits the fan,
or someone departs the organization unexpectedly.

But here’s the thing:

You don't have to document it all at once.

You'll be updating it over time anyway.

But to start, you do need a place to document it.

That's the thing to decide first.
More on that decision tomorrow.

All the best,
A.