Every documentation team is different. In this section, we discover how organizational structure varies, how many technical writers larger teams have, and how team structures change as a company grows.
Of Large companies have one or more tech writers on staff
OF large companies have decentralized or hybrid docs teams
How different teams collaborate on documentation
The survey data show clear patterns in how companies handle documentation work.
Who’s responsible for documentation across different teams
In most organizations, technical writers lead the way — but they’re not the only ones involved. Product managers and engineers also play a major role in creating and updating docs.
How docs teams change as companies grow
As companies grow, they’re more likely to set up formal documentation teams. And those teams tend to shift from being centralized to more decentralized or hybrid setups.
How many writers companies have — by company size
We also saw that the number of technical writers increases as company size grows. But it’s not always a smooth path. Sometimes, docs teams don’t grow as fast as engineering teams, which can lead to gaps and overloaded writers.
Growing teams often don’t have enough writers
Engineer to writer ratio and % with writers by company size
As companies grow, you’d expect the number of technical writers to grow steadily too — but that’s not always what happens.
Our data showed a surprising pattern. At a certain point, engineering teams grow faster than docs teams. This creates a “danger zone” where there aren’t enough writers to keep up, and documentation starts falling behind. We call this the documentation debt phase — when products are changing quickly but the docs can’t keep pace.
Eventually, bigger companies tend to correct this by hiring more writers. But mid-sized companies are especially at risk of under-investing in documentation during periods of fast growth.
Strategic implications
Growing companies need to rethink how they structure docs teams
As companies grow, their documentation needs change. Small teams often start with a centralized docs setup, but bigger teams typically move to decentralized or hybrid models. If you don’t plan for this shift, you’ll end up scrambling when the expansion happens.
It’s better to think ahead, adjust your docs team structure, and make sure you're considering how your docs team fits into your changing processes before the cracks start appearing.
Not having enough writers risks docs debt
That “danger zone” we mentioned? It hits mid-sized companies the hardest. When engineering teams grow fast but docs teams stay small, important features can go undocumented.
If you don’t invest in enough writers during that growth period, you’ll build up documentation debt — and it’s always harder to fix it later.
Early collaboration creates stronger products
Good documentation doesn’t happen in a bubble. The best results come when technical writers, product managers, and engineers work together from the start.
Teams like dbt have shown how valuable it is to bring docs into the process early — from brainstorming ideas to launching features. This kind of collaboration leads to better docs and better products.
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