Technical documentation authoring has evolved significantly thanks to the advancement of digital technologies and changing user needs. Now the choice between topic-based authoring and traditional authoring approaches can significantly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of the technical documentation processes—namely, how your business creates, manages, and updates documents.
Technical writers face numerous challenges in creating and maintaining documentation, particularly when using traditional authoring methods. These challenges include content redundancy, inconsistency across documents, difficulty with updates, and inefficient content reuse. That’s why understanding these two different methodologies is more crucial than before for technical writers and organizations seeking to optimize how they’re writing content and the management strategies that will carry that content forward.
In this article, we’ll uncover the characteristics, benefits, and limitations of topic-based and traditional authoring to help you determine which approach best aligns with your specific organizational requirements.
Understanding Traditional Authoring
Traditional authoring follows a linear, document-centric approach where technical writers create content as complete, self-contained documents. This method treats each piece of documentation as a distinct entity, similar to writing a book with chapters and sections. Technical writers using this approach typically work with familiar tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs to create user guides and knowledge bases.
While this traditional approach to technical documentation may seem simple and straightforward, it presents several notable limitations:
- Content redundancy and inconsistency: Technical writers frequently encounter situations where similar content must be recreated across multiple formats and documents. This redundancy not only wastes time but also tends to lead to inconsistencies when updates are made in one location but missed in others.
- Difficulty with updates and version control: When content requires modification, technical writers must manually locate and update each instance across multiple types of documents. This process is time-consuming and prone to errors, potentially leaving outdated information in some locations.
- Challenges in single-sourcing and multi-channel publishing: Traditional documentation typically targets a specific output format, making it difficult to repurpose content for different channels—such as a Word document versus an online help system or mobile app version. Converting content into multiple formats requires substantial manual effort and increases the risk of inconsistencies.
- Limited content reusability: Technical writers must frequently duplicate information across documents, leading to inefficient workflows and increased maintenance burden. This redundancy not only impacts productivity but also makes it harder to maintain consistency across all documentation and formats.
Despite these limitations, traditional authoring remains suitable for certain scenarios. For instance, when creating one-time documents with minimal future updates or developing standalone user guides for simple software products, traditional authoring tends to be the best approach.
Exploring Topic-Based Authoring
Topic-based authoring represents a modular approach to technical documentation where content is created as discrete, self-contained topics that can be assembled and reused across various documents and formats. This methodology often utilizes what is known as the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA). DITA is an XML-based open standard that provides a structured framework for creating, organizing, and publishing technical content and is considered the easiest way to write content that’s designed to be reused across multiple platforms and publications.
The benefits of topic-based authoring for technical documentation are incredibly substantial, especially in the digital era where products are continuously innovated and updated:
- Improved content consistency and accuracy: Single-source topics can be referenced across multiple documents, ensuring consistency. When updates are needed, technical writers modify the source topic once, and changes automatically propagate to all instances where that topic appears.
- Reduced redundancy and streamlined updates: The modular nature of topic-based content allows technical writers to efficiently manage and update content by working with discrete topics rather than entire documents, significantly reducing maintenance overhead.
- Enhanced content reusability and single-sourcing: Technical writers can create content once and use it multiple times across different outputs—as much as needed. This approach ensures consistency while maximizing the value of existing content through structured authoring.
- Simplified multi-channel publishing: Topic-based authoring enables technical writers to generate documentation for various formats and devices from a single source. The content can be automatically formatted for different channels without manual intervention.
- Increased efficiency and productivity for technical writers: The ability to focus on creating and maintaining individual topics rather than managing entire documents leads to more efficient workflows. This approach not only supports team collaboration but it allows for more effective content management.
Industries with complex products or services, such as software development, manufacturing, and healthcare, particularly benefit from topic-based authoring. This approach tends to be best for creating and maintaining extensive documentation sets, online help systems, and knowledge bases that require frequent updates and consistent branding across multiple channels.
Topic-Based or Traditional Documentation Authoring: Choosing the Right Approach
Choosing between topic-based and traditional authoring is a strategic decision that can impact the efficiency of your organization’s technical content well into the future. While both approaches have their place, the best choice always comes down to circumstance and individual business requirements.
When evaluating which authoring approach best suits your organizational needs, consider the following key factors:
Content Complexity and Volume
The complexity and volume of your technical documentation play crucial roles in determining the best authoring approach. Topic-based authoring becomes increasingly valuable as content complexity grows and documentation volume expands. Technical writers and leaders should evaluate their documentation requirements, considering factors such as content interdependencies, reuse opportunities, and maintenance needs to determine which approach will best serve them in the future.
Frequency of Updates
Consider how often your technical documentation requires updates and revisions. Topic-based authoring provides significant advantages for content that needs frequent updates, as it allows technical writers to efficiently manage changes through version control and content reuse features. Traditional authoring, on the other hand, will likely suffice for documentation with minimal update requirements.
Need for Multi-Channel Publishing
Evaluate your requirements for publishing content across different formats and platforms. Topic-based authoring undeniably works better in supporting multiple outputs and various devices, making it ideal for organizations needing to deliver to omnichannel or multi-channel outlets. This allows technical writers to efficiently create documentation that maintains consistent branding across all formats, whereas traditional authoring requires a lot more time and effort to format for each channel while minimizing the potential for redundancy across channels.
Team Size and Collaboration Requirements
The size of your technical writing team and collaboration needs also greatly influence the choice of authoring approach. Topic-based authoring supports multiple users working simultaneously on different topics, enabling team collaboration through structured content management. Traditional authoring might work well for smaller teams with simpler collaboration needs.
Budget and Resource Constraints
Consider your available resources, including budget, time, and technical expertise. While topic-based authoring tools often require initial investment and training, they can provide significant long-term benefits through improved efficiency and content reuse. Traditional authoring might be more cost-effective for smaller projects with limited resources.
Regardless of your chosen approach, most modern content management solutions can provide flexibility in implementing either methodology. This adaptability ensures that technical writers can select the most appropriate strategy for their specific needs while maintaining the option to evolve their approach as requirements change.
Introducing Heretto: We're Here to Simplify Your Technical Documentation Management and More
Whether you choose topic-based or traditional authoring, Heretto has the tools and content support needed to optimize your technical documentation process. The platform's user-friendly interface, combined with powerful content reuse capabilities and multichannel publishing options, helps technical writers deliver consistent, accurate documentation across multiple channels.
Our comprehensive platform supports both topic-based and traditional authoring approaches, providing technical writers with the flexibility to choose the most appropriate methodology for their specific needs. The platform's intuitive interface and advanced capabilities like sophisticated version control, collaboration features, and extensive output options for multi-format publishing enable the most efficient technical content creation and management—regardless of how you choose to author your content.
By choosing Heretto, organizations like yours can enhance their technical documentation workflows while maintaining the flexibility to adapt their authoring approach as needs evolve. Request a free demo today to explore Heretto's platform and discover how it can transform your technical documentation process now and in the future.
