Key points
- Plan what to record, how to record it, and how to organize it before you start.
- Write in plain, accurate, succinct language so any technician can act on a record.
- Organize records consistently from the first entry, and add diagrams, screenshots, and charts to key data points.
- Standardize every documentation type with templates so each record follows the same format.
- Assign every document a named owner and a review date, and retire outdated records.
Good IT documentation starts with a plan, uses plain language, follows a consistent structure, keeps sensitive data secure, has clear owners, and gets updated as part of daily work. Teams that skip these habits lose time searching for credentials and procedures, and lose context when a technician leaves. IT documentation software gives MSPs and IT teams one secure place to apply these practices.
At-a-glance
| Practice | What to do | Result |
| Create a plan | Audit what exists, decide what to record and who it is for, and choose how to organize it before you start. | Documentation is easier to produce efficiently. |
| Write with clarity | Use straightforward, succinct, accurate language and keep credentials out of the article text. | New employees and technicians can find and act on information. |
| Organize the data and use multimedia | Organize from the first entry and add diagrams, screenshots, and charts for key data points. | Information is easier to search and understand. |
| Standardize the documentation | Apply consistent templates, tags, and cross-links for each documentation type. | Recording and locating information is easier. |
| Secure credentials and sensitive information | Store secrets in a secure vault with access controls and multi-factor authentication. | Credentials stay protected, and procedures can be shared without exposing them. |
| Assign owners and review on a schedule | Give every document a named owner and a review date, and retire outdated records. | Records stay trusted and current. |
| Make documentation a regular activity | Update records as part of daily work, change management, and ticket resolution, with input from other departments. | Records stay accurate as the environment changes. |
What is IT documentation?
IT documentation involves recording detailed descriptions of tasks, methods, procedures, and any essential knowledge for the operation of an IT environment. It also includes the configurations needed to manage devices, along with references to the credentials stored in a secure vault.
Most IT documentation falls into three types: reference documentation (such as configurations and asset records), process documentation (such as runbooks and checklists), and knowledge base articles (such as how-to guides and troubleshooting steps). IT documentation software provides a single location to reliably store this important information.
Build and maintain an efficient archive of critical IT knowledge.
Why IT documentation is helpful for your business
We’ve listed some best practices when it comes to IT documentation for effective IT management, but how can it assist with your business operations? Ultimately, it comes down to Knowledge Management. Knowledge Management covers capturing, organizing, sharing, and using organizational knowledge so that both present and future employees can rely on it.
IT documentation software is used as a knowledge management tool for IT pros. There are multiple ways it can help your business, which include:
Faster onboarding
Every business knows the challenge of teaching new employees what their roles are and how to perform key functions in their job. Fortunately, with IT documentation, onboarding can move faster because the necessary information is available in one organized location. This especially helps when technicians need to learn or have access to information about the IT environments of individual customers or clients.
Increased efficiency
IT documentation is an effective way to both centralize and standardize company knowledge. When information such as credentials, processes, and configurations is recorded, technicians have a location where they know they can easily access the information they need. This helps to prevent wasted time searching in other places for explicit information about IT environments. A centralized knowledge base also makes it easier to keep that information up to date.
Minimized risk
It can be hard to ensure continuity when a technician leaves the organization and takes institutional knowledge with them. With proper and consistent IT documentation, teams can reduce this risk. Through the use of IT documentation, crucial business knowledge can be written down and recorded for current and future use. IT documentation can also provide all the information technicians need to remediate frequent IT issues that they may run into, such as what to do if a backup fails or what to do if they suspect malware has crept into IT systems. By creating an IT disaster recovery plan, IT teams can reduce risks by keeping a record of the exact steps, roles, and recovery time objectives needed to restore operations after a major incident. Having this level of documentation available helps organizations reduce costly downtime and maintain business continuity.
Improved security
Keeping credentials and other authorization information secure is one of the many headaches that IT pros and MSPs have to deal with. IT documentation can help with securely storing and sharing credentials, so only those who need the information have access to it. The added measure of security will give you peace of mind as you continue to provide IT services to customers and clients.
7 IT documentation best practices
IT documentation is no small task. It requires a big time commitment along with adherence to some key principles. When it is done well, it serves as a vital resource for businesses and IT teams. Here are 7 IT documentation best practices to follow to get the most from your documentation.
1) Create a plan
Because documenting your business’s technical know-how is essential, it is wise to make a plan of action for executing documentation. Before you begin the process, decide what information you are going to record, how you’re going to record it, and how you plan to organize the details. Start by auditing what already exists (shared drives, wikis, and personal notes) so you know what to keep, merge, or retire. Then decide who each document is for, such as technicians, service desk agents, or end users, so every record is written for the person who will use it. If you begin with a plan, it will be easier to efficiently document.
2) Write with clarity
Since it is a resource that will be referred to often, write it in a way that you can easily comprehend the information. Keep it straightforward and succinct. There is no need for extra fluff; just state procedures simply and keep credentials in a secure vault, not in the article text. Start each procedure with its purpose, list the steps in the order they happen, and note the expected result.
Additionally, make sure that the information you write is accurate. Clear documentation will also help newly onboarded employees navigate their roles and learn the information.
3) Organize the data and use multimedia
Organizing information from the moment you begin documenting will make it much easier to search for and find the information later. Adding multimedia like diagrams, screenshots, and charts to clearly display key data points will make documentation more visually appealing and easier to comprehend. With rich IT documentation, technicians and support staff can spend more time remediating issues and less time searching for the answer.
4) Standardize the documentation
Set up a process for recording information so that it is all recorded in the same way. Some IT documentation software will offer various templates to use that can make it easier and help simplify the standardization process. Apply consistent templates for each documentation type and make sure to tag and cross-link related records.
Standard templates for runbooks, onboarding and offboarding checklists, and environment records give every technician the same starting point. Standardizing your IT documentation will make both recording and locating information in the documentation easier.
Keep credentials and processes organized, searchable, and always up to date with NinjaOne IT Documentation.
5) Secure credentials and sensitive information
Credentials, recovery codes, and other sensitive details do not belong in plain articles. Store them in a secure vault with role-based access and multi-factor authentication, and have procedures reference the vault entry instead of repeating the secret. Limit access to the people who need it, keep an audit trail of who viewed or changed sensitive records, and back up the documentation itself so it can be recovered after an incident.
6) Assign owners and review on a schedule
Documentation loses credibility when no one is responsible for it. Give every document a named owner and a review date, flag records that are past their review date, and retire or merge outdated articles instead of leaving them to mislead technicians. Review the procedures technicians use most, such as incident response and onboarding, more often than low-traffic reference notes. To see whether the process is working, track a few simple signals, such as time to resolution, technician onboarding time, the share of tickets that link to a runbook or article, and the number of records past their review date.
7) Make documentation a common and regular activity
IT documentation should be a living document, with consistent updates as part of your daily workflow. Since documentation is needed for both security and ease of business operations, it is important to make it a daily practice. Integrate documentation into your change management processes as well, so that no change ticket closes without a corresponding update. Capture fixes the same way: when a ticket requires a new solution, record it in a knowledge base article before the ticket closes. Use IT documentation software, like NinjaOne Documentation, to automate updates, such as using scripts to write environment details to documentation fields. IT documentation should also be a collaborative effort across other departments within the organization to ensure that the documentation is being used and is accurate.
What to watch for when documenting IT
| Mistake | Why it matters | How to avoid it |
| Credentials in plain articles | Anyone with access to the article can read them. | Store them in a secure vault and reference the entry. |
| No owner or review date | Records go stale and technicians stop trusting them. | Assign a named owner and a review date to every document. |
| Inconsistent formats | The same task is recorded differently each time, which slows searches. | Apply standard templates for each documentation type. |
| Documenting after the fact | Details are forgotten or skipped. | Update records as part of the ticket and change workflows. |
| Outdated records left in place | Technicians act on wrong information, which can cause an outage or a security incident. | Retire or merge outdated articles during reviews. |
IT documentation and compliance
Frameworks and standards expect organizations to know what they have and how they run it. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 includes requirements for documented information and an inventory of information and associated assets. CIS Controls v8.1 starts with inventories of enterprise assets and software, and NIST CSF 2.0 includes asset management in its Identify function. Documentation that is current, owned, and access-controlled gives auditors evidence of those inventories, procedures, and change records.
Conclusion
Effective IT documentation is both beneficial and necessary for any IT environment, and it is worth the time spent recording all important IT information. Furthermore, it is also essential for successful IT operations management. Having proper documentation in place helps keep operations running smoothly and gives you confidence that your IT environment information is organized, current, and protected.
NinjaOne Documentation is built into the NinjaOne unified IT operations platform, so procedures, credentials, and checklists sit where technicians already manage endpoints and resolve tickets. The right runbook is available when a ticket opens, and scripts and automations can update environment details to keep records current. Sign up for a free trial today to start exploring the benefits of Ninja’s IT documentation software.
