Documentation Plan
Welcome to Greenstand Documentation
Documentation Project Background:
Greenstand has grown to include hundreds of integrating organizations, thousands of volunteer contributors, and millions of trees recorded by thousands of growers. These are our three core audiences.
Currently, Greenstand's systems and operations have grown so large and widespread that without documentation and clear communications, most of the people engaged with the project get frustrated, lose interest, and disengage. To continue up the growth curve, advancing the project documentation is critical!
Over the years we have made many attempts to solve these documentation challenges, including significant efforts made by experienced technical writers and project leads. However, time and again, Greenstand documentation issues have been sidelined, as the work needs a fully focused team of contributors working for a six-month period.
Greenstand is seeking a grant to help solve this issue.
Core Documentation Problems
Existing documentation is scattered and hard to find. For example, there are many "How to use the app" videos, but their locations are often hard to find when the videos are needed.
Findable documentation is outdated and lacks a structure and protocol to update or remove it. Contributors often ask, for example, "Which version is the wallet API documentation written for?" or "Does the Webmap API Documentation reflect the domain migration?"
Contributors are not able to edit and update documentation. For example, many outdated documents are locked on Google Drive or Gitbook, or pinned as a pdf in Slack.
There is no standard way of documenting at Greenstand, and often the result is each lead using their own method. For example, repositories may have a Read Me, a wiki, a Gitbook page, or may have no documentation at all.
Documentation Project
Core Deliverables
Single Documentation Portal
Consolidated and up-to-date project documentation for all stakeholders
Sustainable processes for maintaining documentation.
Project Scope
The scope of this documentation project includes:
Indexing and auditing the status of all existing documentation
Bringing the documentation into a standardized and editable format and following the DPG standard opensource best practices
Removing old and irrelevant documentation
Updating and standardizing all project-critical documentation
Out of Scope
Ongoing management of documentation - successful orchestration of this project will create a self-sustaining framework
Creating new marketing content
Activities
Recruit and Appoint Documentation Project Lead and Project Manager
Week 1
Appointment of a Project Lead and Project Manager
Complete inventory of existing documentation
Week 2
MD file on Github with links and descriptions of all documentation
Perform an audit of Greenstand’s existing information and documentation. Include what exists now, where it's located, updates needed, and any gaps, and enhancement opportunities.
Week 2 - 6
Adding document status to the MD file on Github with links and descriptions of all documentation.
Research options and best practices for Documentation structure
Week 2
Create a publicly accessible and linked road map file outlining path forward for documentation.
Identify and articulate needs/wants/desires for each of Greenstand’s three core audiences.
Weeks 2-3
MD file on Github containing research findings, outlining the current project state and suggestions for how to move forward
Identify problem areas and outline the current process for onboarding core audiences.
Weeks 2-3
MD file on Github with links to relevant onboarding files, recommended enhancements, additions/deletions, and processes for making updates ongoing
Create a roadmap, and identify tasks, milestones, risks, the full scope, and key players required for the implementation of the documentation project.
Week 3-6
Publicly viable road map with open tickets and tickets assigned to individual contributors.
Project Management "project board set up
Week 2-6
Using the audit findings to create tickets, log dependencies, and assign tasks.
Identify opportunities to drive audience engagement with interactive or multi-media formats
Weeks 2-24
Md file on Github with recommendations for videos or advanced Slack programming. Note: The creation of videos may occur as a second phase of the initiative.
Detailed review, rewriting, and revisions of documentation to enable volunteers of all skill levels to advance their skills here
Week 3-24
Advanced well-written documentation for all stakeholders with a focus on easy-to-find-and-follow pathways for volunteer contributors of all levels.
Create a centralized documentation portal. Consolidation, indexing, and advancement of all critical documentation issues discovered in the audit.
Weeks 6-15
A single well organized portal at Docs.Greenstand.org
Document and communicate a process for accessing, and maintaining/updating documents in the portal. Create supporting documentation. Develop oversight requirements and a process for updating/maintaining the portal.
Week 6-9
Clear documentation
Communicate as necessary to raise awareness of the new portal and explain the process for document migration.
Week 7-24
Migrated documents.
Consolidate/migrate documentation, including archiving documentation and repositories that are old, outdated, or obsolete.
Week 6 - 24
Clear and accurate documentation.
Project Budget
Technical Writers Stipend
9
$11,700
20 Weeks
Greenstand Tokens for Documentation Rewards
4000
$800
24 Weeks
Project Manager Stipend
1
$1,000
24 Weeks
Administrative overhead and support team
1
$1,500
24 weeks
Total Project Cost
$15,000.00
Budget Notes:
78% of this budget is allocated to stipends for technical writers, many of whom are already Greenstand volunteers.
Technical writers include all persons writing documentation, such as engineers and technical leaders who are documenting code, and/or otherwise creating project documentation; tech leaders whose input and involvement are critical in the review and validation of the documentation surrounding this complex microservice platform; and communication professionals with expertise in writing clear, concise, and consistent communications for specific audience needs.
A portion of the funds will be used to purchase Greenstand Tokens (tokens linked to sponsored trees), which will be purchased from farmers and allocated to volunteers for contributing to the documentation.
Metrics
Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer attrition rates (currently fewer than 10% of interested volunteers - only 2 in 20 who arrive each week - get past the introduction message on Slack).
Reduce volunteer attrition rate from 90% to 70% or lower by week 10
Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer participation rates
Increase total volunteer hours contributed and logged monthly by 40% by week 15
Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer participation rates
Increase the number of individual volunteers contributing at least once a week by 30% by week 10.
Volunteer Engagement
Decrease friction and barriers to first contribution
Reduce the number of messages and questions asked by new contributors by 50% by week 24
Volunteer Engagement
Increase the number of valid tickets opened by contributors
20% increase in valid tickets by week 24
Volunteer Engagement
Increase in community contributions to the project documentation
Have at least 40 contributors submit documentation edits and updates by week 24.
Tree grower engagement
Clarify and simplify grower documentation to increase understanding and acceptance levels
Increase rate of target user adoption by 10% by week 24
Tree grower engagement
Reduce questions from users
Reduce incoming emails with questions about using the system by 50% by week 24
Corporate partnership engagement
Increase integration requests
Increase integration requests by 20% by week 24
Corporate partnership engagement
Reduce time spent supporting integrations
Reduce support correspondence by 90% by week 24
Last updated