Understand the Role of a Technical Writer
Starting Your Technical Writing Journey: A Crisp Guide
Who is a Technical Writer?
A Technical Writer is the bridge between complex technical concepts and user understanding. They create user-friendly documents like Manuals, Guides, FAQs, Release Notes, Feature or Functional Documents. The specific documentation requirements vary across organizations.
- If you want to know more- read "
Technical Writing for Dummies"
- If you want to know more- read "
What kind of company hires a Technical Writer?
- Product companies hire Technical Writers to make their products easy to use. Service companies, on the other hand, may bring in Technology Content writers or Content Writers for White Papers, case studies, use-cases, and Articles or Blogs. However, these documents could be the responsibility of Technical Writers, Solution Architects or even Product Managers working for an application. Like I said, it varies in different organizations.
Which department does a Technical writer work with?
- Technical Writers work closely with the Product Engineering team, which includes Product Managers, Business Analysts, and both Front-end (UI & UX) and Backend (coders) departments.
What is the difference between a Technical writer/Technology content writer and a Content writer?
- A Technical Writer delves into intricate technical and technology topics, while a Content Writer covers a broader spectrum of subjects. The former specializes in applications' document repositories, like user manuals and knowledge bases, while the latter may not engage deeply in the technical realm.
What are the first things to do when you get hired as a technical writer?
Understand the product, meet the team, and explore existing documentation.
Stay tuned for a Step-by-Step guide in my upcoming article, sharing insights for both seasoned and newbie Technical Writers.
Where do you start as a technical writer if there is no documentation available?
Begin by learning about the product from the experts and start creating documentation from scratch.
Locate the existing repository of documents-which could be anything at all, such as code repository on GitHub, Release Notes, or Marketing Documents. While you are at it, make sure you understand the product/application side-by-side.
Identify your go-to person for the queries. If required, ask this question on the day you join the organization or even in the final rounds of interviews.
You can read more in my next article.
Where do you start as a Technical Writer if there is existing documentation and protocols in place?
- Familiarize yourself with the existing documentation, understand the protocols, and identify areas for improvement.
What are the Technical Writing/Authoring tools available in the market?
The first and most common tool is MS Word.
Expert authoring tools such as - Adobe Framemaker, Madcap Flare, and Oxygen XML.
A very new-age tool for Knowledge base is Document360.
For basic graphic architecture diagrams, familiarize yourself with MS Visio or Draw.io which are commonly used in technical documents.
How are the document types different from each other?
- Different documents serve varied purpose – manuals help users with a detailed step-by-step guide to using the applications, FAQs answer common questions, and infographics present information visually.
How to plan your future as a technical writer?
- Keep learning, explore advanced topics, and consider specializing in areas like software documentation, API Documentation, Grant Writing, Heavy-Machinery Documentation or Medical Writing for a promising future.
If you wish to become aCertified Technical Communicator, join STC (Society for Technical Communication)!
- Keep learning, explore advanced topics, and consider specializing in areas like software documentation, API Documentation, Grant Writing, Heavy-Machinery Documentation or Medical Writing for a promising future.
Examples of impressive documentation page:
a. https://docs.docker.com/guides/get-started/