Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM)

Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) provide a powerful, modern alternative to traditional paper-based documentation. Designed to be used on screen, IETMs allow users to quickly locate, understand and apply technical information through structured navigation, search, hyperlinks and interactive content.

At Orchid, we design and produce online-first IETMs using modern documentation platforms, for example MadCap Flare and Atlassian Confluence. This enables collaborative authoring, content reuse, version control and rapid updates – ensuring manuals remain accurate, accessible and fit for purpose throughout their lifecycle.

Why Use an IETM?

Traditional printed manuals are often bulky, expensive to produce and difficult to maintain – particularly where colour diagrams, P&IDs or schematics are involved. IETMs overcome these challenges by delivering:

• Fast search and cross-referencing.
• Easy updates and controlled distribution.
• Rich use of colour, graphics and interactive elements.
• Consistent information across multiple outputs.

Because IETMs are designed for screen use, they significantly improve usability for engineers, operators and maintenance teams working in the field or at a workstation.

IETM Levels Explained

IETMs are typically defined by levels of functionality, ranging from simple digital documents to fully interactive information systems. Orchid supports all common IETM levels, including:

• Level 1 – Basic electronic documents (e.g. structured PDFs with hyperlinks).
• Level 2 – Indexed and searchable manuals with cross-references.
• Level 3 – Integrated graphics, structured navigation and advanced search.
• Level 4 – Fully interactive IETMs with data-driven content, reusable components, configuration control and links to external systems.

Level 4 IETMs are commonly used in defence, aerospace, utilities and energy sectors where accuracy, traceability and structured information delivery are critical.

Features of an Orchid IETM

A typical Orchid IETM may include:

• Hyperlinks between text, tables, diagrams and procedures.
• Powerful keyword search and filtered navigation.
• Interactive diagrams with drill-down access to component data.
• Pan and zoom on vector graphics (ideal for large schematics and P&IDs).
• Structured content tagging and reuse.
• Controlled printing and export options.
• Version control and update tracking.

Our approach ensures information is easy to find, easy to maintain and consistent across manuals, training materials and online help systems.

Platforms and Delivery

Orchid builds IETMs using industry-leading tools such as MadCap Flare and Confluence, allowing:

• Collaborative authoring with client subject matter experts.
• Single-source publishing to multiple outputs (web, PDF, help systems).
• Secure online access or controlled offline delivery where required.

IETMs can be hosted by Orchid, integrated into client systems or delivered as standalone secure solutions.

Typical Applications

Orchid produces IETMs for a wide range of technical environments, including:

• Works Operating and Maintenance Manuals (WOMs).
• Oil and gas operating procedures.
• Water and utilities infrastructure documentation.
• Defence and aerospace digital publications.
• Marine and industrial operations manuals.
• Software Product or User Guides.

Why Orchid?

• Deep experience in technical authoring and structured documentation.
• Proven delivery of Level 3 and Level 4 IETMs.
• Expertise in MadCap Flare, Confluence and modern documentation platforms.
• Strong understanding of engineering systems and operational processes.
• Ability to integrate manuals with training, graphics and hosting services.
• Long-term support for document maintenance and lifecycle management.

Contact us for further information on our IETM services.