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We have a web-based software product that has a growing user-base of around 200+ people.

We used to have our help sent out with the product as PDFs, and then last year we offer both the PDFs and also an online web-help here.

The workflow is not too great.
As developers finish tasks they update the docco as they go in one word .doc.
Before a release, we use a programme to convert this .doc to a series of HTML files which we then upload to our site via FTP.

There are a number of formatting issues (e.g. graphics in word do not port across ok) and in general, the workflow to update the documentation could be better if we skipped out MS Word and edited directly online.

I had a quick play with MediaWiki and looked ok (and not ruling it out just yet), but our users are familiar with documentation in the style to this.

What are the top runners up for documentation platforms out there? - For me, the clients user experience comes first (especially around searching the help) but I would also like to make the developers experience easier to update this docco as well. - Ideally, we need an open source solution.

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This is why you should hire a technical writer / communicator... joelonsoftware.com/articles/DevelopmentAbstraction.html – Joe Internet Aug 24 '11 at 14:22
Im not the dev, im the product engineer. For now, its my role to improve that docco. No budget as of yet for tech writer. We will have new workflow on devs creating docco, then i turn it into english :) – Simon Aug 24 '11 at 23:23
Questions asking for a list of suitable products are off-topic on most Stack Exchange sites. Questions about code documentation are in general more suited to Programmers. Some example questions that are a better style than just asking for a product: 1, 2, 3 – nhinkle♦ Aug 30 '11 at 22:27

closed as off topic by nhinkle♦ Aug 30 '11 at 22:24

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