How To: Document Business Applications

A vast majority of MSPs find that when it comes to locating information about a Business Line Application you have to access multiple documents, use multiple technologies, pull a large amount of data from your brain, and potentially end up falling short of your target – the complete picture.

So how do you document a business application…..

How to document

There are many things you may want to document, but the basics are fairly straightforward. A one page summary of your application should include the following details:

• Description
  A short description of the application and how its used in the business.
• Infrastructure
  The servers or locations associated with this application.
• Importance and impact
  How important is this application to the business, who is impacted by any issues and what is the impact to the business were it not available or working.
• Credentials
  Any important user names and passwords needed to download, install and/or log into the application.
• Business contacts
  Who at the business are the owners, decision makers, and experts.
• Vendor details
  The contact details and account numbers of the software vendor.
• Licensing
  License keys, license expiration and details of the licensed features or product
• Procedural documentation
  How to install the application, how to set up users, frequently asked questions, and common troubleshooting steps.

When you’re all done, it could look something like this:

One small step on the road to loving your documentation is getting your line of business applications fully documented. It’s the starting point where your team can quickly access what they need.