Building the Business Case for Documentation — A Complete Guide to Securing Resources and Buy-in

Reading time: 5 min read
business case ROI of documentation justifying value

Originally published as part of my work with The Good Docs Project in collaboration with Ravi Murugesan

Documentation advocacy has always been close to my heart. As someone who’s spent years in technical communication and business strategy, I’ve witnessed firsthand how organizations struggle to justify documentation investments — even when the need is glaringly obvious.

That’s why I was thrilled to work on a comprehensive 10-part series that tackles this challenge head-on. Together, we created what I believe is the most complete resource available for building compelling business cases for documentation initiatives.

Why This Series Matters

Documentation is consistently treated as a cost center rather than a strategic investment. This misconception creates a frustrating cycle: teams know they need better docs, but they can’t secure the resources to create them. Our series breaks this cycle by providing concrete frameworks, metrics, and strategies that speak directly to decision-makers’ priorities.

The Complete 10-Part Journey

Foundation Phase: Understanding the Landscape

Post 1: Understanding Good Documentation
We start by establishing what “good documentation” actually means and when a formal business case becomes essential. This foundation is crucial — you can’t advocate for something you can’t define.

Post 2: Know Your Company’s Goals
Strategic alignment is everything. This post shows how documentation supports different business strategies and which metrics matter most to your organization’s specific goals.

Post 3: Assess the Current State
Before proposing changes, you need evidence. We provide systematic approaches for analyzing your current documentation landscape and gathering concrete data to support your case.

Business Value Phase: Demonstrating Impact

Post 4: Documentation Drives Revenue
Here’s where we get into the exciting stuff — showing how quality documentation directly generates revenue through reduced sales cycles, enhanced self-service capabilities, and improved customer trust.

Post 5: Learn How to Save Costs
Cost savings are often easier to quantify than revenue generation. This post demonstrates how strategic documentation investments reduce support costs, minimize technical debt, and decrease training expenses.

Post 6: Documentation Mitigates Risks
Risk mitigation might not have direct monetary value, but it prevents significant financial and reputational losses. We explore how documentation protects against knowledge loss and ensures compliance.

Implementation Phase: Building and Presenting Your Case

Post 7: Build Your Business Case Step-by-Step
This is where theory meets practice. We show you how to transform all your research into a structured, persuasive business case with clear scope definition and solution mapping.

Post 8: Calculate the ROI of Documentation
Numbers speak louder than words. Our practical 4-step process helps you calculate the return on investment through support ticket reduction, traffic conversion, and measurable efficiency gains.

Post 9: Present and Defend Your Case
Different stakeholders need different approaches. This post is a master class in customizing your pitch—from line managers focused on team efficiency to C-level executives concerned with strategic impact.

Post 10: Prepare to Deal with Objections
Every proposal faces pushback. We expect and address common objections with prepared, evidence-based responses that keep your documentation proposal moving forward.

Key Insights from the Series

Documentation Is a Strategic Investment, Not a Cost

The most important mindset shift is moving away from viewing documentation as an expense. When positioned correctly, documentation becomes a strategic asset that drives revenue, reduces costs, and mitigates risks.

Data-Driven Advocacy Works

Anecdotal evidence isn’t enough. The series emphasizes concrete metrics, from support ticket reduction percentages to customer acquisition cost improvements. Decision-makers respond to numbers.

Stakeholder-Specific Messaging Is Critical

A one-size-fits-all approach fails. What resonates with a product manager (faster development cycles) differs significantly from what matters to a CFO (cost savings and ROI).

Objection Handling Is an Art

Every “no” is an opportunity for dialogue. The series provides frameworks for addressing common pushback, from concerns about maintenance overhead to questions about AI replacing human-written documentation.

The Collaborative Impact

Working with The Good Docs Project on this series reinforced my belief in the power of community-driven knowledge sharing. The project’s commitment to providing practical, high-quality resources for the documentation community aligns perfectly with my own mission to elevate the strategic value of technical communication.

Ravi Murugesan brought invaluable insights from his experience in both education and open-source project participation, helping ensure our frameworks work in real-world organizational contexts.

What’s Next?

This series represents just the beginning of changing how organizations view documentation. As more teams successfully implement these strategies, we’re building a compelling case for documentation as a strategic discipline.

If you’re struggling to secure resources for documentation initiatives in your organization, I encourage you to work through this series systematically. Start with understanding your company’s goals, assess your current state, and build your case step by step. Contact me if you need help with this.

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