Tag: working with a technical writer

Technical Authors what we are and what we are not

Unveiling the True Potential of Technical Authors: More Than Just Writers

Don’t let the title of Technical Author fool you. Regardless of your opinion, do not underestimate us. We have the potential to offer unexpected help in more ways than one. Allow me to dispel the myth regarding our identity.

Misconceptions About Technical Authors

Not Just Software Developers

If I had proficiency in BASIC, C/C++, Java, etc., I would earn significantly more as a developer. While I receive calls for API documentation, a skill requiring familiarity with code, my primary focus remains on creating clear and concise technical documents.

Not Project Managers

I am not a project manager certified through Prince2, Agile Scrum, or similar programs. My project management skills are specific to technical documentation, where I manage schedules and meetings with subject matter experts (SMEs) and other stakeholders. My role does not include:

  • Detailed project planning, progress evaluation, risk management, or issue resolution. For these tasks, a full-time project manager is essential.
  • Secretarial duties such as organising colleagues’ schedules or taking minutes. I record my meetings and extract the relevant information for documentation purposes.

Not Departmental Experts

While familiar with the terminology, I am not an expert in every department. I learn on the job, facilitating communication and collaboration through practical verbal and written skills. My goal is to support and encourage achieving organisational goals without making the process daunting.

The True Role of a Technical Author

An External Consultant with a Plan

As an external consultant, I often use the MoSCoW method to categorise initiatives into must-haves, should-haves, could-haves, and will-not-haves (or wishful thinking). This approach ensures a structured and prioritised documentation process.

Documentation Management

Upon joining, I sift through all available documentation to identify gaps and areas for improvement. I manage documents and content using tools like SharePoint and Confluence, ensuring efficient information management for your teams.

Project Management Skills in Context

My project management skills, while not as extensive as those of a certified project manager, include:

  • Designing new templates and improving the structure of existing documents.
  • Documenting processes across several categories and arranging meetings with SMEs.
  • Planning, writing, reviewing, publishing, and maintaining content using tried and tested methods.

Extensive Experience and Resourcefulness

With over 23 years of experience, I possess an extensive library of generic documentation and various templates. This resourcefulness lets me tweak documents to meet your business profile, saving time and money.

ITIL and ITSM Expertise

I have experience producing IT Service Management (ITSM) documents based on ITIL best practices, including:

  • Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, and Continual Service Improvement.
  • Delivery and Service Support, Availability, Capacity, and IT Service Continuity Management.
  • Incident, Problem, Change, Release, Configuration Management, and Service Desk documentation.
  • Policy, Process & Standards documentation for ISO27001/9001 compliance, GDPR, PCI/DSS, and security projects.
  • Disaster recovery scenario documentation.
  • Infrastructure documentation to support large-scale networks and recently migrated infrastructures.

Editing and Enhancing Existing Content

I can enhance existing content by adding VISIO drawings, new screenshots, rewording policies, adding narratives, and creating new templates. I am also skilled at ensuring consistency and structure in Word documents.

Tools and Techniques

I keep projects on track using spreadsheets, MS Word, PowerPoint, and VISIO. I also suggest ways to maintain up-to-date and current documentation, treating information as an invaluable asset.

SharePoint and Confluence Management

The cost of Technical and Process documentation
The cost of Technical and Process documentation

If you lack a documentation strategy, I can create a plan tailored to your needs. Proper management includes ensuring documentation is available to all staff, appropriately updated, rewritten, and archived. Ownership, version control, and historical control are critical aspects of effective

documentation management.

Key Benefits of Effective Technical Documentation

Implementing adequate technical documentation can lead to the following:

  • Reduced costs.
  • A more responsive help desk/support system.
  • Better-informed staff and confidence in performing procedures.

By recognising the true potential of Technical Authors, organisations can leverage their skills to achieve greater efficiency, clarity, and overall

success.

Technical Writing | Sourcing a technical writer

When sourcing a technical writer, ensure their experience matches your requirements. The best candidate will have the correct background and expertise. Listen carefully to their answers as many like me at the interview dispense advice and why a particular route may not work. If they don’t talk through that experience, keep searching until you do.

Productive years as a Technical Writer

An experienced Technical writer can only be an asset to your team or project. The longer their career in various businesses, the broader and more in-depth their experience will be. However, the only way to be confident is to read their CVs carefully.

Read the CV, and discuss the project. My rule is this: if you cannot see it on my CV, then I haven’t done it. That does not mean I will turn down unfamiliar tasks.

Do they use Social Media or have a website?

Check out LinkedIn for their profile; If you cannot find it or a website describing their experiences, what have they be doing?

During the interview, did they communicate?

During an interview, be wary of a candidate who sits, listens, and says very little. An experienced TW will respond to your questions and offer suggestions on elevating the project with innovations you may not have considered.

Effective communication

An essential part of our job is communicating with SMEs to gather the right level of detail for the documentation. If you have a TW and the documentation appears vague, it might be time for a chat.

Do you want a contractor or permanent TW?

Do you want to build a team that includes a TW to keep the documentation up to date, a person who will grow into the environment? However, I caution against hiring a permanent Technical Writer unless you are sure there will be ongoing work.

Work cycles can dip, so be careful how you use the Technical Writer. During one of my earliest contracts, the project engineer referred to me as a secretary and treated me as one, as did the rest of the team. In a much earlier role, my line manager used me as a general dogsbody.

A proactive Technical Writer between writing, researching and interviewing could improve the company’s documentation. However, once they get on top of the tasks, the role could become routine and repetitive. There will be an odd spurt of activity within the working life cycle; hence, the position of Technical Writing lends itself more to contract work than permanent work.

To summarise: if you hire a permanent Technical Writer to ensure you have plenty of contingencies to avoid your TW developing itchy feet, I suggest you discuss additional tasks that may add value to their experience. Allowing a member of staff use them for jobs for which you employ an office junior will not go down too well.

A word of caution

Unfortunately, our profession attracts its fair share of triers. You can reasonably expect CVs from candidates who have had minimum experience preparing ad hoc documentation on projects at work. Unfortunately, that minimal experience does not translate to full-scale projects requiring a technical writer. In many cases, it turns into an expensive flop.

Many recruiting agents have a minimum expertise sourcing Technical Writers. When they speak to prospective candidates, they hear a few buzzwords and place candidates forward for a role for which they are not suitable. Be sure to check that they have the right experience and background.

To avoid problems, apply the following advice:

Be careful hiring a Junior Technical Writer or one that has worked in a permanent position for the last five years.

Why: a permanent position can be very repetitive, which limits the Technical Writer’s experience. That also goes for junior writers. For high-profile projects, hire a seasoned contracting professional who can talk through the project with you.

Finally, budgets – ensure you are buying the experience you need. In the world of Technical Writing, the price you pay determines the standard you accept. Hiring the wrong candidate could be a costly mistake.

Where else can you source a Technical writer?

You have found me. However, I may not be suitable for the role. Check LinkedIn, Social Media sites and online Job Boards. Ask other companies and fellow professionals if they have used Technical Writers and, if so, what was their experience. They may have recommendations that, in the long run, could save you money.