Documentation is a KING. 🤴
Documentation plays a crucial role in helping users work with the product. It’s an important resource as it provides IT teams with the right information to deliver IT Support. It's a massive repository of educational materials, step-by-step guidance, and simple rules that can help set up products and features or solve problems. Some people even say there is no such thing as too much documentation. 😅
By the way, Documentation and Community coexist, so - doesn't it make the Community a QUEEN? 👸
In this kingdom, we have many knights who fight for a “better world” for our users. One of them is Jaroslaw Orłowski @jaroslaw_orlows. He is one of our silent heroes, so that’s why this month, we would love to show him to the broader audience.
Enjoy the read!
My journey into the world of IT is a blend of passion and a happy chance. Like many technical writers, I began as an English teacher with a background in economics and English. My fascination with technology started in my childhood, inspired by movies like “War Games,” where I first learned what the computer network is, and only recently found out that the movie resulted in the first US security directive on communications and computer security.
This early interest in technology was further fueled by a pivotal moment in my teenage years - unboxing my first Atari 65XE computer. That 8bit marvel became my gateway to the digital world, and I spent countless hours exploring its capabilities, coding in Basic, but mostly playing games, obviously. It was a formative experience that solidified my passion for technology.
After university, I volunteered for Amnesty International, and before I knew it, I was building the website for the Polish section in the early 2000s. With extremely limited technology and no budget, we pulled off the first-ever live online event on the Polish internet, with updates in real-time from Amnesty members across Poland.
My transition into IT was unexpected. And yes, I’m a “dynasaur” 🦖 (19 years in the company already), I received a call from Compuware, which was forming a team of technical writers for Vantage Service Check, an agentless monitoring solution for internet cable providers. I had just registered my one-man English teaching company, a venture that never took off. A month later, I was setting up my desk in the Gdansk office.
I’ve worked on various projects, collaborating with countless Dynatracers to tackle complex problems and develop innovative solutions. Witnessing the evolution of our products, from DC RUM or AppMon to advanced multi-purpose platform we’re now, has been incredible. Dynatrace has offered many opportunities for professional growth, and I’ve always felt supported in expanding my knowledge and ability.
I started as a technical writer at Compuware, where I eventually became the lead for DC RUM documentation.
When we transitioned to a single-product company, I was tasked with consolidating all the technical writers across Dynatrace into a unified team. This role allowed me to streamline our documentation processes, ensure consistency and quality, and contribute to developing our state-of-the-art Docs creation platform.
About a year ago, I shifted my focus from people management to a more technical role. I became the tech lead of the Supportability Services unit. In this role, I’m responsible for executing “soft topics” such as technical content creation while also collaborating with our engineering team on various projects. These include the development of our documentation and developer platforms, chat client, Community platform, SeaOtter, our in-house link redirect service (pun in name intended), and Dynatrace search. When you read or search the docs and Community, chat with a Dynatrace ONE product specialist, or select the https://dt-url.net links in the Dynatrace UI, you’re experiencing the achievements of the exceptional teams of Docs, Community, and Supportability Tooling that I’m privileged to work with.
Currently, my focus is the redesign of our documentation. Stay tuned for the new version coming in October! I’m also excited to start working on a new project: an end-to-end observability solution for our catalog. Surprise, surprise, it’s based solely on Dynatrace. This project aims to enhance the user experience by providing contextual information to Dynatracers across the company, helping us better understand user needs and find areas for product improvement.
Being part of Dynatrace is truly exciting for several reasons. First and foremost, the company respects our autonomy, allowing us to take charge of our work and make meaningful contributions.
Innovation is a constant at Dynatrace. The drive to push boundaries and explore new ideas keeps things dynamic and inspiring. This innovative spirit is supported by a focus on constructive discussions and data-driven decisions, ensuring our ideas are both creative and well-founded.
Using Dynatrace’s amazing product every day and getting paid for it is a win-win situation. It’s great to work with a tool I genuinely believe in and see its positive impact on our customers.
The company culture at Dynatrace is another highlight. It’s a place where intelligence is sparked and where collaboration and mutual respect are the norms. This supportive environment makes it a joy to come to work every day and be part of a team that values each member’s contributions.
The Dynatrace Community holds a special place in my heart for several reasons. One is the ability to talk directly to our users in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. This direct interaction allows for genuine conversations and helps build strong connections.
Seeing the honest enthusiasm our users have for the product is incredibly motivating. Their passion and excitement remind me why I love working at Dynatrace and inspire me to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
"Additionally, the Community provides valuable feedback that helps me improve my work.
Whether it’s suggestions, constructive criticism,
or new ideas, the insights I gain from our users are invaluable in refining and enhancing the projects I’m involved in. "
I have two big passions: cycling and photography, which I often combine. I’m a strong believer in the n+1 bike paradigm, meaning there’s always room for one more bike! Currently, I own and use three bikes - road, gravel, and commuter - and I built all of them myself.
But there’s one thing only few people know. I played in one of the first Polish Britpop bands. I think it’s worth mentioning after the last week’s news, if you know what I mean.
I used to be a street art guide, giving tours to one of the largest mural galleries in the world, which is a ten-minute walk from the Gdansk Dynatrace office.
My wish...:
🔹 I’d love to do some proper cycling in the US.
There's no better ending for this article than quoting Albert Einstein:
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
So keep moving, Jarek! More is yet to come! 😃