Documentation project planning

As a technical writer with over twenty years of experience, I have seen project managers repeat the same mistakes across multiple projects. The root cause points to poor documentation planning. It is a problem that often goes unnoticed until a professional steps in and identifies it.

If you have delivered a project involving PCI, GDPR, ISO27001, ITIL, or policy and process documentation, ask yourself:

Did the project deliver all the required documentation?
If not, do you know why?

In my experience, the failure begins in the planning stages.

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The First Mistake: Not Consulting a Technical Author Early

Did you speak to a technical author for a realistic appraisal?

If the answer is no, there lies your answer.

Managers treat documentation as a downstream activity. Something to complete once systems, processes, or controls are in place.

That assumption is wrong. Documentation is a structured discipline involving:

• • • discovery
    • analysis
    • stakeholder engagement
    • controlled writing
    • review cycles
    • approval workflows

Without this understanding, planning becomes guesswork.

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The Second Mistake: Underestimating Time and Budget

Another common issue:

The budget is short, and the timelines are optimistic.

Project managers frequently underestimate the effort required to produce controlled documentation.

A simple question often arises:

“How long does it take to write a document?”

The honest answer is:

“It depends.”

Because writing is only one part of the process.

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What Actually Takes Time in Documentation Projects

For a typical documentation project, the effort is distributed across:

• • • Information gathering
    • SME interviews
    • Conflicting opinions and interpretations
    • Writing and structuring
    • Multiple review stages
    • Amendments and rework
    • Final approval and sign-off

Here’s a realistic outcome to consider:

• • • 30-page process document
    • 3+ Visio diagrams (10–30 steps each)
    • 3+ process narratives
    • 2+ appendices

Expected effort: 8–12 weeks before review.

That is one document.

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Scaling the Problem: Compliance Projects

Compliance frameworks significantly increase the scope.

If starting from scratch:

• • • 60+ documents is not unusual
    • 12–18 months of work is typical
    • 24 months is a safer estimate

If documentation already exists, fragmented across drives, emails, and legacy systems: Do not expect timelines to reduce; the first phase becomes:

• • • consolidation
    • standardisation
    • validation

This alone can take months.

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The Knowledge Gap in Planning

A major contributor to failure is a lack of understanding of:

• • • The difference between a policy, a process, and plan
    • The document lifecycle (draft → review → approval → maintenance)
    • The complexity of controlled documentation environments

Delays are inevitable when managers cannot understand these fundamentals during planning.

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Why do documentation projects fail?

Documentation projects typically fail due to:

• • • Poor planning
    • Lack of documentation expertise
    • Unrealistic timelines
    • Insufficient budget
    • No defined ownership or review structure

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Why Documentation Projects Succeed

Successful projects have:

• • • Early involvement of a technical writer
    • Clear understanding of the documentation lifecycle
    • Realistic timelines based on effort
    • Defined ownership and governance
    • Structured review and approval processes

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Hire a Technical Writer at the Start — Not the End

A common mistake is hiring a technical writer when:

• • • deadlines are approaching
    • Documentation is incomplete
    • Exhausted budgets
    • At that point, recovery is expensive.

A technical writer engaged at the start can:

• • • Identify risks early
    • define a realistic scope
    • structure documentation outputs
    • manage stakeholder expectations
    • prevent rework

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Resourcing Considerations

Technical writers require:

• • • Time to understand the project
    • Training on tools and environments
    • Access to SMEs
    • Availability for review cycles

You must also account for:

• • • holidays
    • illness
    • unplanned absences
    • staff turnover
    • These are not exceptions. They are normal project variables.

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Quality vs. Quantity: Use Prioritisation

When timelines are tight, prioritise deliveries using the MoSCoW Method:

• • • Must have
    • Should have
    • Could have
    • Won’t have (this time)

Or classify documents as:

• • • Required
    • Nice to have
    • Not important

Focus on delivering usable, controlled documentation, not volume.

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Additional Planning Factors Often Ignored

• • • Travel: Will the technical writer need to travel?
    • What can you reuse?
    • Review structure: Who reviews and who signs off?
    • Scope changes: How to control expansion?

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Final Thought

When your project requires documentation, why is so much of the budget allocated to everything except documentation?

Documentation is not an afterthought. It is the mechanism that explains, controls, and sustains your operations.

Remove it—or underfund it—and the cost will surface later.

Usually, when it matters most.