Marni Helene Nispel

I’m often the first writer in (into the company, into a specific team, program, or product). Sometimes there are no docs. Sometimes there are docs, but they’re not written for any clear audience. I start by figuring out what exists and what’s missing, then I define the audience, what they need, and where they need it. From there, I build.

If I’m not the first one in, and there’s already a strong team and a solid system in place, that is great. I’m glad to join, learn, and start contributing. There's very little I haven't seen.

Documentation & Systems

I help organizations improve and evolve their documentation systems, whether that means conversions, new tools, or getting things working the way they should.

• Initiated and led documentation conversions across platforms, improving structure and usability.
• Drove evaluation and selection of authoring tools, then led implementation and migration.
• Built and refined information architecture to make large documentation sets easier to navigate and maintain.
• Established standards and templates to keep documentation consistent across teams and tools.

Technical Writing

The core of my documentation career has always been the writing. My job is to write the content that people need. I meet users where they are and give them what they need, in the way that works best for them in that moment.

• Developer and API documentation
• User guides and task-based documentation
• In-app and contextual help
• Internal documentation
• Knowledge bases and support content

Process & Enablement

Documentation should never be an afterthought. It’s an integral part of the product development lifecycle (PDLC). I ensure that the Documentation Team is as effective as our documentation product.

• Workflow and process design, particularly for Agile teams
• Documentation planning and release alignment
• Building and growing documentation teams, including structure, roles, and responsibilities
• Content strategy and long-term planning for documentation programs
• Cross-team coordination to keep documentation aligned with development

Portfolio

• Dual Audience Sample
  Portfolio sample from my work at BlueSnap for the 3-D Secure project, covering documentation written for two distinct customer audiences: developers integrating the API and the customer teams who need to understand how it works and how to use it. The work required keeping content aligned and consistent across both perspectives.
  
  Developer Documentation: Archive Link · PDF
  Support Documentation: Archive Link · PDF

CREATING DOCUMENTATION IN AN AGILE SCRUM ENVIRONMENT

You’ve taken classes. You’ve read Agile and Scrum books. Not only do they not tell you how to handle documentation, they rarely even mention it. When documentation is mentioned, it’s usually that line from the Agile Manifesto: “Working software over comprehensive documentation” (AgileManifesto.org). The manifesto refers to things like specifications and design documents, not customer documentation.

So, now what? After years of experience facing that same situation, I’ve compiled some answers. These are methods and process, and some tips and tricks, that have worked for me and I’m sure will help you.

• Buy on Amazon (Paperback)
• Buy on Amazon (Large Print)

Skills

Leadership

• People Management
• Team Leadership
• Program Leadership
• Project Management
• Contributor Onboarding
• Mentorship

Content & Systems

• Content Strategy
• Information Architecture
• Standards and Style Systems
• Governance
• Platform Selection and Implementation

Process

• Agile/Scrum
• Docs-as-Code
• Documentation Planning
• Workflow and Process Design
• Roadmap Alignment
• Tool Evaluation and Implementation
• Process Improvement
• Change Management

Collaboration

• Stakeholder Management
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Engineering Collaboration
• Product Team Coordination
• Executive Communication
• UX Writing

Tools

Documentation & Authoring: Arbortext, DITA, Document360, Dreamweaver, FrameMaker, HTML/XML, IXIASOFT CCMS, Markdown, OxygenXML, Readme.io, RoboHelp

Content & Collaboration: Confluence, Google Workspace, Jira, Miro, Notion, SharePoint, Slack

Version Control & CI/CD: Git, Jenkins, Subversion (SVN), TortoiseGit

AI Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Prompt Engineering

Design & Visual: Canva, GIMP, Illustrator, InDesign, Lucidchart, PaintShop, Photoshop, Visio

Education

• M.S. Industrial and Organizational Psychology — WALDEN UNIVERSITY
• Masters in Technical and Professional Writing (MTPW) — NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
• B.A. English (Writing). Minors in Psychology and Computer Science — UMASS LOWELL

Complete resume available upon request.