Documentation Triage: What to Fix, What to Keep, and What to Rewrite From Scratch

Your step-by-step guide to updating documentation

Picture this: your documentation is a mess. Some pages are solid. Others look like they haven't been completed. And some? Well, they're so outdated even your intern laughed.

Before you throw it all into the bin/delete folder and start over, it’s time for a little content triage.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to sort your documentation into three key piles:

🔧 Fix

📚 Keep

🔥 Rewrite from Scratch

By the end, you’ll know exactly what’s worth your time—and what needs a full-blown content ambulance. Bonus: we’ve included a free downloadable worksheet to help you get started fast.

What is Content Triage?

Just like in an ER, content triage is about prioritization. Not everything needs surgery, and not everything needs to be scrapped. Some content just needs a little editing. Some are still in perfect shape. Some should have been archived a few administrations ago...

When you triage your documentation, you're deciding:

• What can be salvaged with small updates?

• What is still perfectly usable?

• What needs to be reworked from the ground up?

Step-by-Step Framework

Step 1: Inventory Everything

Before you can triage anything, you need to know what you’ve got. Use a spreadsheet (or our free worksheet) to list:

• Document name

• Date of last update

• Type (user guide, FAQ, process doc, etc.)

• Intended audience

• Owner/stakeholder

• Link or location

Pro tip: Don’t do this alone. Loop in your SMEs, support team, and anyone else who uses the docs regularly.

Step 2: Audit for Relevance and Accuracy

Go through each piece and ask:

• Is this still relevant?

• Is the information accurate?

• Is it consistent with current branding and voice?

• Does it align with current processes or products?

Tag each item as: 🔧 Fix 📚 Keep (or) 🔥 Rewrite

Step 3: Assess the Effort to Update

Not all fixes are created equal. Some require swapping out a screenshot. Others mean rewriting 10 paragraphs of confusing instructions that involve a version of your software that hasn’t existed since quarantine sourdough days.

Estimate:

• Low effort → Small edits, terminology updates

• Medium effort → Section rewrites, updates from SMEs

• High effort → Full rewrite, requires interviews or research

Step 4: Prioritize Based on Business Impact

Once you’ve sorted and tagged, it’s time to decide what to tackle first. Ask:

• Which documents are used most often?

• Which errors or gaps create the most frustration (internally or for customers)?

• What content supports onboarding, compliance, or product adoption?

Fix those first. Leave the “nice-to-haves” for later.

Step 5: Assign Owners and Deadlines

Whether you're handling the updates in-house or using a contractor (hey there 👋), each doc should have:

• An owner

• A due date

• A reviewer

• A status

You can do this in your content management system, spreadsheet, or project management tool of choice.

When to Bring in the Pros

If your list of “Rewrite from Scratch” items is longer than a Target receipt, it’s time to call in help.

A contract technical writer can:

• Interview your SMEs and translate jargon into updated documents

• Create structure and consistency across all docs

• Save your internal team hours of rewriting and delay headaches

Content triage isn’t about being ruthless—it’s about being strategic. The more you organize and prioritize up front, the faster you’ll turn your outdated documentation into content you’re proud to share.

Grab Our Free Content Triage Worksheet

Need help getting started? Download our quick-start worksheet to begin sorting your docs by Fix / Keep / Rewrite categories. It’s editable, shareable, and secretly satisfying to check off.

👉 Download the Worksheet (PDF)

Want help reviewing your documentation? Reach out to us at Writer Resource and let’s bring order to your content chaos.