Technical documentation software
Description
In the past, technical documentation was often created using Desktop publishing (DTP) tools or word processors. While these tools are easy to use for one-off documents, they fail when an organization needs to manage thousands of manuals, guides and specifications across dozens of languages. Copying and pasting content leads to version control errors, compliance risks and bloated translation costs.
Technical documentation software solves this by shifting the focus from "documents" to "data." It typically utilizes a Component Content Management System (CCMS) based on standards like DITA or XML. Instead of writing linear documents, authors create modular content components – such as a single safety warning, a technical specification or a troubleshooting procedure. These components are stored in a central repository and can be reused across unlimited publications. When a product spec changes, the writer updates the single source component, and the software automatically propagates that change to every manual, help portal and mobile app where the component appears.
Example use cases
- Manufacturing: Managing complex product manuals that share common safety procedures.
- Software: Creating API documentation and in-app help that updates automatically.
- Life sciences: Authoring and controlling Instructions for use (IFU) and clinical reports.
- Support: Building self-service knowledge bases where users can find precise answers.
- Service: Delivering context-aware repair instructions to technicians' mobile devices.
Key benefits
RWS perspective
RWS leads the market in technical documentation software with Tridion Docs. We believe that complex information should be easy to manage and effortless to access.
Our approach combines the power of an enterprise-grade DITA CCMS with the usability required by modern teams. Through Collective Spaces, our easy-to-use web interface, we allow SMEs and casual contributors to author and review structured content without needing to know XML. This democratizes the documentation process, bringing engineers and product experts directly into the workflow. By integrating Tridion Docs with our linguistic AI technology (Language Weaver) and translation management systems (Trados), we create a continuous content supply chain.