Why Documentation Toolchains Should Match Contributor Needs — with Laura Novich, Salesforce

In this episode of the Knowledgebase Ninjas Podcast, Laura Novich, Lead Technical Writer at Salesforce, shares what truly makes a documentation toolchain effective. It's not just about the tools themselves, but how seamlessly they integrate into team workflows—and how confident contributors feel using them. Laura explains why features like content reuse, automation, and collaboration only add value when they align with the needs of different contributors—developers, product managers, support teams, and non-technical writers alike. She emphasizes the importance of training that meets non-technical users where they are, engaging with writing communities, and leveraging AI to bridge knowledge gaps. Through two real-world examples, Laura shows how honoring individual tool preferences can transform documentation into a strategic business asset. Catch the full conversation on the Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast for valuable takeaways and pro tips. Stay tuned for expert insights and actionable strategies you don’t want to miss out on.

In this episode of the Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast, Daria Tombolelli from KNIME shares her perspective on how AI is enhancing—not replacing—the work of technical writers. She explains how tools like ChatGPT help simplify research and make complex topics more accessible. Daria also highlights a shift in documentation priorities, emphasizing content that is both user-friendly and optimized for AI, with a focus on clarity, structure, and accuracy. She advocates for hands-on learning, real-world use cases, and close collaboration with UX designers and engineers. Catch the full conversation on the Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast for valuable takeaways and pro tips. Stay tuned for expert insights and actionable strategies you don’t want to miss out on.

In this episode of Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast, we talk with Nikhar Sawhney, senior technical writer at Cisco and hear why documentation must come into focus as a wise business initiative. Having 16+ years of experience, Nikhar shares how the process of how excellent documentation can reveal the product potential, achieve better user satisfaction and facilitate product adoption. He emphasizes the role of cross-functional cooperation with engineering and product teams to create the content that would meet the user needs in the real-life context. This discussion talks about the way clear organization, logical navigation and user centralized thinking enables users to quickly locate whatever they are searching. Nikhar also refers to the topic of how nice documentation is more than figuring out how to reduce support tickets to uncover value, to encourage discoverability, and to gain trust. Catch the full conversation on the Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast for valuable takeaways and pro tips. Stay tuned for expert insights and actionable strategies you don’t want to miss out on.

In this episode of the Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast, we speak with Kylee Thornton, Technical Writer at Blue White Industries. With less than a year of experience in the field, Kylee shares how she stepped into technical writing through an internship and quickly embraced the fast-paced challenges of the manufacturing industry. She talks about how important it is to stay consistent in your writing, from tone to structure, to build trust and clarity for the reader. Kylee also explains the value of setting urgency protocols so high-priority tasks don’t overwhelm the team, and how keeping documents user-focused, not writer-focused, makes information more accessible when it matters most. She stresses that good documentation is not just about writing, it’s about proactive communication, staying updated, and recognizing that one change in a system can ripple across many documents. Kylee also shares how she uses AI as a helpful assistant, not a replacement, for her work. Catch the full conversation on the Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast for valuable takeaways and pro tips. Stay tuned for expert insights and actionable strategies you don’t want to miss out on.