|   Home   |   Careers   |   News & Events   |   Contact us   |

Success Stories

Sanera Systems Outsources Documentation to Lasselle-Ramsay Situation The launch of a first product is the pivotal moment for most venture-funded companies. So it's not surprising that Sunnyvale-based start-up Sanera Systems took great care with the rollout of its initial software. The beta version of Sanera DS10000—an intelligent data center–class director that simplifies storage area network (SAN) deployments—was announced in April 2003, with availability scheduled for March 2004. A critical step before launch was to develop the product documentation. Challenge Sanera needed to deliver the product documentation in time for the launch and on budget. Documentation was considered an integral component of the product, and it had to be produced at the highest level of quality within a specified budget. As a young company, Sanera had no technical writers on staff, so the company decided to work with an outside vendor. The selected vendor would have to be able to deliver cost-effective, high-quality work, and yet also be able to ramp up and down as needed. Solution After researching numerous options, Sanera selected Lasselle-Ramsay because of the high caliber of the firm's writers, as well as its reputation for strong project management. The Lasselle-Ramsay team immediately got to work on the alpha version of the docs—an 800-page project. They first developed a template and a style guide. Next, Lasselle-Ramsay mapped out content and developed documentation plans for each of five books: an installation guide, maintenance guide, CLI reference, administration guide, and network management guide. Once these documentation plans were approved, the writers started developing the actual content. The content was developed based on engineering specification documents, as well as on interviews with engineering staff members. In addition, team members began using the product in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the DS10000 solution. Once the alpha docs were completed, the docs for the beta release were written and delivered. Sanera noted that Lasselle-Ramsay's flexibility throughout the project was excellent. As the documentation was continually updated to reflect new features, Lasselle-Ramsay adapted to the reprioritized schedule. In addition, Sanera noted that Lasselle-Ramsay kept a close watch on costs, working within the stated budget and frequently suggesting various choices and trade-offs. Lasselle-Ramsay's communication skills were also ranked as excellent. These included Lasselle-Ramsay's regular reports detailing ongoing project status in terms of both time and budget. "[Lasselle-Ramsay] blended seamlessly with our engineering team." —G.D. Ramkumar Network Management/User Interface Sanera Systems   Read the Sanera Systems Case Study

About us Solutions Services Success Stories Alliances Best Practices Copyright 2004, Lasselle-Ramsay