Confluence Content Development Process Document

 Confluence As A Documentation Tool

Creating a document in Confluence is a straightforward process. Confluence allows teams to create, share, and manage content effectively. To work with Confluence, you need to be a valid user with the appropriate set of permissions (read, Write, Edit, etc.) Step-by-step guide to create a document in Confluence

1. Log in to Confluence

• Open the web browser and enter your Confluence URL.

• Log in with your username and password.

2. Create or navigate to the desired space

Spaces in Confluence are areas where you can organize your content. Each space should be dedicated to a specific product documentation.

• Create either a new space if you don’t have the required one or select the existing to create your documents.

Note: You need to have the appropriate permission for creating a space in Confluence.

3. Create a new page

• Once in the desired space, click the Create button in the top navigation bar and then select Page.

• Alternatively, you can click on the “+” button next to Content in the left-hand menu and select Page.

4. Enter the page title

• At the top of the new page, enter a title for your document. This should be descriptive and reflect the content of the page.

5. Add content to the page

• Text: Start typing to add text. You can format your text using the toolbar that appears above the editing area (e.g., bold, italic, bullet points).

• Headings: Use headings to structure your document. Select from different heading sizes (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) to create a hierarchy.

• Images and Media: Click the “Insert” button (usually represented by a “+” icon) to add images, files, or other media.

• Tables: Insert tables to organize data. You can add rows and columns as needed.

• Macros: Confluence macros add dynamic content or functionality to your page (e.g., Info panel, Code snippets, Expand). Click Insert Element (usually represented by a “/” icon or the “+” icon) and choose the macro you need.

6. Save or publish

• Once you have finished adding content, you can save your work.

• Click Publish… to make the document available to others in the space. If you’re not ready to publish, click Close draft… to save the draft.

Document Development Life Cycle

A typical cycle of document development entails the steps discussed in the sections to follow.

1. Planning

• Objective definition: Identify the purpose of the document and its target audience.

• Scope determination: Define the scope and content structure.

• Resource allocation: Assign roles and responsibilities to team members.

2. Content Creation

• Gather necessary information and data

  • Explore Resources: Investigate both internal and external resources to collect relevant information about the feature in discussion. This may include reviewing internal documents such as design documents, requirement specifications, and other pertinent materials.

  • Schedule a Meeting: Arrange a meeting with the designated Subject Matter Expert (SME) to gather additional information.

  • Prepare Questions: Compile a list of general and specific questions to ask the SME. Ensure you prepare these questions beforehand.

• Outlining: Create an outline to organize the content logically.

• Drafting: Write the initial draft of the document.

3. Review and Editing

• Internal review: Team members review the draft for accuracy, clarity, and coherence.

• Feedback collection: Gather feedback from stakeholders or subject matter experts.

• Revisions: Implement the feedback and make necessary revisions.

• Proofreading: Check for grammatical errors, typos, and formatting issues.

4. Approval

• Final Review: Conduct a final review to ensure all changes have been incorporated.

• Stakeholder Approval: Obtain formal approval (sign-off) from relevant stakeholders.

5. Publishing

• Formatting: Format the document according to organizational or industry standards.

  • Consistency: Ensure consistent use of terminology, style, and formatting.

  • Clarity: Write in clear, concise language appropriate for the audience.

• Distribution: Distribute the document to the intended audience through appropriate channels (e.g., email, intranet, website).

6. Maintenance

• Updates: Periodically review and update the document to keep it current.

• Version control: Maintain version history to track changes and updates.

• Archiving: Archive outdated versions and retain records as required.

 Sample Questions

Include the following sample (generic) questions in your questionnaire. Let us consider the Migration feature use case for this.

Scope of documentation

• Coverage: What needs to be documented for the use cases and how it impacts learners?

System requirements

• Hardware/Server requirements: What are the necessary hardware and server specifications, such as the number of working nodes, RAM, OS, etc.?

Prerequisites

• Pre-migration steps: What steps must a user perform before migrating? For instance, to export objects using Solution Promotion, the user must have access to the source Kubernetes environment where the application is installed.

Permissions required

• User Roles and Permissions: What roles and permissions (privileges) are required for the user ? For example, to edit an import package, the assigned user role must have EDIT permission on Solution Import.

Source of Use Cases

• Process and Configuration:

  • Can you describe the current process step by step?

  • What data inputs are required for this process?

  • What are the activities used in the transaction.

  • What are the business rules applied?

Outputs and Results

• What are the expected outputs of this process?

Workflow

• Utilization: How can the user use the introduced feature to accomplish the intended task?

  • Steps: What steps must the user perform?

  • Additional Actions: What other actions (e.g., edit, delete, view the import package) can a user perform?

Backward compatibility

• Compatibility: Does the object provide backward compatibility? For example, will all migrated activities (AIS) continue to work seamlessly in the new environment (AC)?

Limitations

• Restrictions: Are there any limitations associated with the objects? For example, can the migration feature migrate all activities, or is it limited to specific types of activities?

Performance impact

• Application performance: Will the use case impact the application's performance?

  • Test report: If yes, is there any test report that substantiates the performance impact?

Logging

• Logging mechanism: Is there any logging in place for the issues? If yes, can the user view the logs in the UI?

Summary

Confluence is a versatile tool for documentation, offering a user-friendly interface and collaborative features.

• Confluence simplifies content creation, allowing structured organization and easy sharing.

• Document development involves planning, content creation, review, approval, publishing, and maintenance.

• Sample questions for documentation cover scope, system requirements, permissions, UI changes, workflow, and more.

• The document development life cycle includes outlining, drafting, reviewing, editing, approving, and publishing.

• Users can follow a step-by-step guide to create documents in Confluence, including logging in, creating a new page, and adding content.

  Resources

Process Document:

docs.google.com/document/d/1-I_Eg-ClGzSou0Q0niByhsFUw1aqMbYMQGeXx8ByeP0/edit