Sonar is an automated code review and verification platform that’s enabling organizations to securely develop at the speed of AI. And its documentation serves a diverse audience — from developers and tech leads to system administrators. But with multiple products, 19+ version-specific documentation sets, and a globally distributed team, keeping docs accurate and accessible was becoming a bottleneck. 

We spoke with Cyn Bethea, Lead Software Technical Writer at Sonar, about how GitBook helped them move from constant formatting struggles to shipping better docs, faster. 

The challenge: more time formatting than writing 

Before GitBook, Sonar’s documentation platform was built for marketing content, not technical docs. The heavily customized setup meant that every table, every anchor link, every component required manual, individual configuration. As Cyn explains, 

“Honestly, we probably spent more time on the formatting of documents than we would actually writing.” 

For a team managing extensive documentation across multiple products and versions, this was unsustainable. Simple updates that should take minutes stretched to hours. And because the platform required heavy developer involvement for any changes, the documentation became a bottleneck. 

Bringing developers back into the workflow 

Sonar saw an opportunity to re-enable direct contributions from engineers. Their previous closed system had cut developers off from documentation entirely, forcing everything through the technical writing team. 

GitBook’s bidirectional GitHub Sync changed that immediately. Engineers could now contribute directly through GitHub while technical writers used GitBook’s editor — with everything staying perfectly in sync. 

“Git Sync was really important to me when we were looking for something, because developers are already in GitHub. It’s really easy for them to make suggestions there. We can then review and merge quickly, immediately seeing those updates online and in GitBook. It helps reduce context switching and gets updates to users faster.” 

Engineers could now update code snippets and technical details directly, eliminating unnecessary review cycles and keeping content more accurate. 

Fast migration, immediate impact 

The migration to GitBook happened remarkably fast. In late July 2025, Sonar began the transition. By September, their new documentation was live. 

Instead of requiring everything to be perfect upfront, the team could migrate content quickly and then progressively enhance it with GitBook-specific features. 

“We’re able to get people in there and make changes with a simple learning curve. The process of finding documentation, making a change, and submitting a change request is so simple.” 

Measurable productivity gains 

Since switching to GitBook, Sonar’s documentation team has seen dramatic efficiency improvements. Looking at Jira data comparing post-migration sprints to pre-migration work earlier in the year, the numbers tell a clear story: median cycle time for in-progress tickets dropped from 29 hours to just over 19 hours, and average cycle time fell from 8 days to 5.63 days — a 35% improvement. 

These productivity gains fundamentally changed how the team approaches their backlog. Small fixes that once piled up — typos, formatting issues, minor corrections — now get handled immediately because they’re so quick to implement. 

“Our backlog is actually not growing at the same rate that it used to. It used to feel like we were never able to cut it down. It’s so much easier. I got an email about a change right before this call, and even though I was supposed to respond to it later, I’m already working on something else, so I just did it at the same time and it’s done.” 

The team can now focus sprint time on substantial improvements rather than maintenance overhead. 

Features that eliminate friction 

GitBook’s built-in features solved problems that previously required workarounds or custom development. Sonar updates their product and documentation frequently and rapidly, and with GitBook, they don't have to worry about manual redirects or broken links as they make changes: 

“When you move pages around, links don’t break. That is a massive thing because it was a big problem previously. I no longer get messages and emails from sales saying ‘I’m on a call right now, this isn’t working, can you fix it?’” 

Other improvements came from features that just work out of the box: step-by-step instructions for complex processes, PDF export for documentation, better mobile experience for the support team, and improved search functionality. 

Internal feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. As Cyn puts it: 

“The look and feel is a lot more modern compared to our previous documentation.” 

The support team particularly appreciated the improved mobile experience, which had previously been a common pain point. 

From bottleneck to efficiency 

For Cyn and her team at Sonar, GitBook solved a fundamental problem: it let them focus on writing good technical content instead of fighting their tools. 

“It’s been a very pleasurable experience dealing with everybody at GitBook. I really appreciate how helpful everyone is and how much people listen to feedback.” 

The platform’s combination of intuitive editing, Git integration, and thoughtful built in features means technical writers can do what they do best — create clear, accurate documentation that helps users succeed. 

Ready to transform your documentation workflow like Sonar? Get started for free or reach out to our team to see how GitBook can help you win more deals.

→ How does GitBook handle SEO?

→ Using Git Sync for collaborative documentation

→ Set up automatic redirects