IT documentation is not exactly exciting. But having accurate, updated IT documentation is incredibly important for your business. Without the right documentation, it’s difficult to use efficient, consistent workflows. In turn, this can lead to data fragmentation issues, problems when setting up machines for new hires, and many other problems.
If you’re looking for IT services in Canada, and you’re wondering why IT documentation is such an important service, keep reading. Our friends at Transparent Solutions, a Vancouver IT consulting firm, explain just a few of the benefits of high-quality, readable, consistent IT documentation.
1. Makes Hiring And Training New IT Staff Much Easier
Onboarding and training a new IT staff member, or an IT services contractor can be quite difficult without consistent IT documentation. If your IT team tends to do things without any kind of formalized process, i’ll be nearly impossible to train new IT staff properly.
Your current staff members will simply “instinctively” know how to do their everyday tasks, such as setting up email addresses, logging new hardware, and other basic tasks – and your new hires may never learn the proper methods to do so.
Documenting the process helps you avoid this problem. Taking the time to have your IT staff write out process and procedure documentation – even for things as simple as changing someone’s email address, or removing a staff member from the Active Directory after they leave the company – is a good idea.
With a comprehensive, easy-to-access repository of documentation, new hires and IT contractors have a resource they can turn to when they need to learn something new – making it easier to train them and get them up to speed.
2. Reduces Redundancies And Inefficiencies
If you do not write down your processes and procedures and use IT documentation to standardize the actions of your employees, you will suffer from redundancy and inefficiency.
Often, there is only one “best” way to solve a problem – but there are many other ways that IT problems can be approached. If you do not document your preferred processes, and instruct your IT personnel on how to follow these instructions, they’ll simply wing it – and come up with a different solution.
This can result in redundancy and inefficiency, and even data loss. IT workers are natural problem solvers, so if they’re not given the proper steps to perform a given task, they’ll just improvise – which is not always desirable.
Creating a comprehensive document repository that’s easy to access and navigate is one of the best ways to reduce this inefficiency, and ensure your workers are more productive.
3. Better IT Services Continuity
Maybe you’re thinking about reducing your IT staff and choosing to outsource IT support services. Or maybe one or two of your most valued IT administrators have chosen to leave your company.
If they have not written down their IT processes, and completed robust documentation about your IT systems, you may risk losing quite a bit of important information that’s necessary for the continuation of your IT services.
There will be no documented processes for dealing with everyday IT issues, making it much more difficult for anyone else to come in and provide the same level of administrative service.
But if you choose to start compiling IT documentation today, you can avoid this issue, and make sure that any staff turnover has a minimum effect on the continuity of IT services.
4. Troubleshooting Becomes Much Easier
This is another huge benefit of a formalized process. You don’t have to worry about an employee accidentally “stumbling into” the solution to a complex problem, and being unable to create it.
Formalized troubleshooting steps and documented procedures allow your employees to be consistent when attempting to solve problems. Then, when they find the solution to any given problem, they can easily deploy it across other platforms, because it’s been well-documented and saved for future reference.
Better Documentation, Better Results!
IT documentation is no longer optional, especially now that so many powerful document management systems exist. These systems make it easier than ever to manage and create IT documentation.
So think about how you can benefit from IT services such as documentation creation, and use the power of consistent, accurate IT documents to your advantage!