Decreasing the cost of software documentation

To decrease documentation costs without decreasing the quality of the documentation, do the following things:

Specify which modules of the software are complete and which modules are not complete. Your technical writers can work on the completed modules. (Producing documentation that will change before the product comes to the market is a waste of time).
Do not repeatedly change the user interface or the functionality of the software.
Do not ask for changes late in the documentation life cycle, because a small change can result in much added work.
Ask for all changes at the same time.
Involve documentation experts in the design of the user interface. Possibly, they will see simpler ways of doing things. (In one case, TechScribe showed how to decrease a software installation from fourteen screens to only one screen. TechScribe saw what the software developers could not see.)
Make sure that the software has been tested. Alternatively, include the technical writers in the testing process. Sometimes, technical writers find errors that testers do not find, because technical writers do not work to test schedules.
If the software interface is simple and easy to use, there will be no need to explain in detail how to use it. Therefore, involve usability experts in your design.