Success Stories
Our clients are by far our best advocates. Read about some of our successful technical communications projects.
Developer Documentation
Our client’s need: A large documentation group at a major software company needed to augment its permanent staff of programmer writers to create developer documentation for the next release of the company’s flagship product. The documentation set to be written was technically complex and very large, with page count in the thousands. The client needed programmer writers with strong programming backgrounds in very specific technology areas.
How Steyer Associates addressed that need: We recruited nationwide to find programmer writers who had extensive programming backgrounds in the appropriate technologies. Because these programmer writers had working knowledge of the technologies to be documented, they immediately gained the respect of our client’s development teams. This partnership enabled our team of programmer writers to create documentation that was highly useful for the target audience.
Benefits to our client: A well-documented API saved lots of time for the client’s development team, because they no longer had to repeatedly answer the same questions about the API design. In addition, our client’s technical support team relied heavily on the documentation, both for educating technical support staff and when providing troubleshooting assistance.
Program Management
Our client’s need: Our client needed someone to independently manage several new initiatives. The scope of work included initiating, planning, and executing the project. The client needed someone who had proven program management experience, knowledge of the client’s business domain and challenges, and the ability to collaborate with diverse groups.
How Steyer Associates addressed that need: Early in the process, our program manager helped the client to visualize the project life cycle and set expectations, which minimized surprises. Any surprises that did occur were handled by our program manager and the client according to a previously agreed-upon process.
Benefits to our client: Having an experienced program manager from Steyer Associates assigned to the work gave the client manager free time to work on other products. Developing clear expectations and processes introduced a more systematic approach to the work. Our program manager brought predictability to an otherwise chaotic project, making the effort more productive and less randomizing, while reducing duplication of effort. In the end, the project met all the input requirements and quality expectations of the client.
SDK and End-User Documentation
Our client’s need: Our client’s developers had their hands full getting the newest release of their complex, database-driven graphics software application ready for launch. They had no time to create a software development kit (SDK) or end-user documentation, and their existing “documentation” was frustrating their users. The team needed a very experienced programmer writer who could code and write at a deeply technical level, and who could ramp up fast without “hand-holding.”
How Steyer Associates addressed that need: Our programmer writer, whose technical background was very strong, created SDK and end-user documentation that exceeded our client’s expectations for completeness, usability, and accuracy. Our programmer writer even helped refine various components of the programming interface, including objects, methods, and properties.
Benefits to our client: Our client was very pleased with the SDK documentation, sample code, and demos that were created. In addition, our programmer writer added value and boosted our client’s productivity by executing projects that would not have been tried without our expert skill set. Our contract has been extended repeatedly, and our programmer writer continues to work on many other aspects of the project.
Product Documentation
Our client’s need: A comprehensive update to their product documentation set completed on a tight schedule. The project involved reviewing specifications, contributing to the design of the user interface, and then developing new and updated material to help a variety of audiences — from partner resellers to IT staff and end-users.
How Steyer Associates addressed that need: Our client required our technical writer to work independently and take initiative in determining project requirements, contacting subject matter experts, and learning the software. Our technical writer installed Beta software to research implemented functionality, filed and reviewed bugs, and stayed abreast of late-breaking changes.
Benefits to our client: At project’s end, our technical writer provided first-rate conceptual and procedural documentation exactly on schedule and beyond the client’s expectations. One of our client’s reviewers complimented our technical writer’s “brain-melting good” work.
Editing Pool
Our client’s need: Our client requested a team of editors to review and edit product documentation that addressed many services offered by the client. Our client’s documents originated from around the world and were often authored by non-native speakers of English. Our client needed a flexible team of editors that could handle the client's unpredictable schedule and frequently changing workload.
How Steyer Associates addressed that need: We assembled a team that included a program manager and a pool of editors who could rotate in and out of the project, depending on the workload and the client’s schedule. Each editor had previous experience with the required tools, and complying with our client’s editing guidance and legal standards. Our project manager was the single point of contact for our client and for our editors’ questions. We staffed only enough editors to do the job, never more than was needed.
Benefits to our client: We met our deadlines — always. We surpassed the client’s expectations. Our client came to rely on Steyer Associates to deliver on time, with accuracy and completeness, and in some amazingly short timeframes. One of our client’s project managers commented that we “pulled more rabbits out of hats than Houdini.” Knowing that Steyer Associates would deliver with rock-solid dependability freed our client to work on other phases of the project.
