Product Requirements Document (PRD)
Defined the system's purpose, intended users, and requirements as gathered from the client, giving the project team a shared reference for what SIPENA needed to do.
Case study
SIPENA
Sistem Informasi Pelaporan dan Monitoring Bencana: a disaster reporting and monitoring information system for BPBD Kabupaten Rokan Hulu, Riau.
Project Overview
SIPENA is a disaster reporting and monitoring information system developed to support BPBD (Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah, the regional disaster management agency) of Kabupaten Rokan Hulu in managing disaster reports and monitoring disaster-related information.
I joined the project as Technical Writer from April 16 to July 12, 2026, working with the Project Manager and the Engineering Team to turn client requirements into structured, usable documentation.
Project Background
Disaster information in the regency involves several parties, from villages to the district level to BPBD itself. SIPENA was designed to bring these parties together in one system, covering three main areas:
- Disaster reporting from villages
- Monitoring at the district level
- Disaster report management by BPBD administrators
My Role & Responsibilities
As Technical Writer, my work focused on documentation, requirement analysis, and stakeholder communication. I worked closely with the Project Manager and the Engineering Team throughout the project.
- Preparing the Product Requirements Document (PRD)
- Developing the User Manual
- Preparing functional specification documentation
- Documenting client meetings, discussions, and requirements
- Organizing stakeholder requirements into structured documentation
- Keeping documentation aligned with project requirements, together with the Project Manager
- Coordinating with Engineers on technical details and functional specifications
Documentation Deliverables
The main documents I prepared or contributed to during the project:
Functional Specification Document
Described how the system's features are expected to behave. Aspects that required engineering decisions were prepared together with the Engineers.
User Manual
Guidance for the people who use the system, explaining how to carry out their tasks in SIPENA in clear, step-by-step language.
Client Meeting Notes & Requirements Documentation
Records of client meetings and discussions, with the resulting stakeholder requirements organized into structured documentation the team could act on.
Collaboration & Documentation Workflow
Documentation on SIPENA was a cross-functional effort. I worked with the Project Manager to keep documents consistent with the agreed project scope, and with the Engineers to make sure functional and technical details were described accurately.
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Capture
Documented client meetings, discussions, and requirements.
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Organize
Structured stakeholder requirements into clear documentation.
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Align
Reviewed documentation with the Project Manager against project requirements.
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Specify
Coordinated with Engineers on technical details and functional specifications.
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Guide
Developed the User Manual for the people using the system.
Project Status
On Hold — pending deployment and formal handover.
SIPENA has not yet proceeded to formal handover. The available server quota for the .id domain in Kabupaten Rokan Hulu, Riau, is currently full, so deployment and the formal handover process cannot be completed until capacity becomes available.
Key Takeaways
SIPENA gave me hands-on experience as a Technical Writer on a government information system: turning client discussions into structured requirements, keeping documents aligned across project management and engineering, and writing for readers ranging from the project team to the system's end users.
It also showed me how much good documentation depends on collaboration, especially knowing when a detail needs an engineering decision rather than a writer's assumption.