What is Technical Writing/Technical Communication?

Technical communication is a field that provides information to users who need assistance to
accomplish a defined goal or task. The focus of technical communication is to assist users who
need specific information on using products, completing tasks, operating equipment, and
completing other types of activities.

Technical communicators work with other professionals to maintain the quality of product
documentation. Technical communicators work collaboratively with sales personnel, engineers,
programmers, graphic designers, quality control personnel, and client support personnel to
ensure that product documentation meets the needs of users.

The field of technical communication encompasses a number of related disciplines that include:

 Information design
 Technical writing
 Technical editing
 Instructional design
 User experience design
 Document design
 Training design
 Marketing
 Web design

What do technical writers do?

Technical writers interpret the thoughts and ideas of engineers, programmers, and marketing
managers by translating complex concepts and procedures into plain English. As a technical
writer, you are a technical ―interpreter‖ who must: know and understand complex language and
industry-specific jargon, be objective and accurate, and, perhaps most importantly, understand
your audience. If you don’t understand your readers’ needs, you will not be able to produce the
document they need or want.

Additionally, as a technical writer, you are expected to be able to:

 Write information that meets the needs of the audience

 Write so that users can easily find and understand information
 Organize the structure of technical documents
 Use page elements such as tables, lists, headings, and white space appropriately
 Edit and proofread to produce documents without grammatical or typographical errors.

Technical writers also interpret the thoughts and ideas of engineers, programmers, and marketing
managers by translating complex concepts and procedures into plain English. As a technical
writer, you are a technical ―interpreter‖ who must: know and understand complex language and
industry-specific jargon, be objective and accurate, and, perhaps most importantly, understand
your audience. If you don’t understand your readers’ needs, you will never produce the
document they need or want.
Types of Technical Writing
In general, there are five different types of writing which cover a full degree for various domains.

1. Commercial Writing: Focuses on a particular type of writing to sell things to people.

2. Creative Writing: Focuses on a specific kind of writing for moving people emotionally.
3. Business Writing: Focuses on a particular type of writing to administer people
efficiently.
4. Technical Writing: Focuses on a specific kind of writing in explaining how things work
and how people can carry out particular tasks.
5. Scientific Writing: Focuses on a particular type of writing for recording and sharing
scientific findings within academia.

Different Qualities that are associated with Technical Writing

Communication through documentation needs to have some qualities to make technical
communication more effective and precise. These qualities are:

 Writing articles and documents using professional tools such as using MS Word, Adobe
Frame Maker, Adobe Page Maker, Leap Office, etc.
 Technical writing needs knowledge of using technology like web pages and websites,
SEO, social media sites, and promotions.
 Explaining or expressing any technical or specialized topics, such as computer
applications, bio-mechanical domains, medical compounds, procedures, or environmental
regulations and contents related to specialized fields, need to be written precisely that can
be understood by users or target audience.
 Understand the target audience so that your document or technical content may connect
them quickly, and they can proceed with the understanding and fulfill their requirements.
 Provide any specific instructions or stepwise guidance about how to perform something
or some process.

Document Development Life Cycle

DDLC can be defined as the practice of developing a document that involves a systematic
process that continues in cyclic order. It is essential for developing a document to enhance the
precision and understandability of the document for end-users. If your end-users or readers can
interpret the writing smoothly, then technical writing is considered perfect.

In Document Development Life Cycle (DDLC), professional writers or documentation experts

need to involve themselves in these following steps:

1. Requirement Analysis
2. Designing Phase
3. Developing the content
4. Editing / Proofreading
5. Publishing
6. Maintenance
Let us understand each of the stages in details:

Requirement Analysis Phase

In this stage, technical writers or content developers must collect specific information regarding
the product from product requisite, SME, online help or seniors, and clients. It is because
technical writers have to prepare the content as per the audience. It has an essential subsection,
i.e., Audience analysis where professional writers and documentation experts have to explore
who will use the product associated with the writing, user's need of building the product, as well
as assess of skill along with the expertise of the target audience before writing the document.

Usually, technical writers assemble such information from Subject Matter Expert (SME). This
saves the writer's time to understand the product. Since every company has SMEs for various
departments, technical writers and content creators can approach them. Another potential target
to get info regarding the product and its working mechanism is from software developers. Time,
cost, and resource estimation are also done in this phase.

Phase of Designing

In this designing stage, technical writers need to design the document or content by using proper
layout, format, and style. Professional writers use various authoring tools and bulk document
processing applications such as RoboHelp, Adobe Frame Maker, Madcap Flare, MS Office, Help
N Doc as well as Author. Also, capturing screen images and product designs, capturing tools like
Print Screen Tool, MS. Snipping, Snag-it, etc. are used. XML and DITA are also used for
creating better formatting of documents. Camtasia is another application used for video capturing
and editing. These are some tools and technologies technical writer needs to know.
Content Development Phase

The content is written as per the product features, requirements, and understanding made in the
first phase. Once the product is analyzed, the product is run, drafting is done as per format and
template.

Editing/Proofreading

Next comes the editing phase, where the document is tested, as per the client/user's necessity,
requirements, and product features. Technical writing editors, peer reviewers, or the content
review expert (who might be the head of the professional writing dept.), will test and check the
complete documentation. Here, technical writers verify the technical part, figures, grammar
mistakes, and document format. Proofreading is a part of it where content experts check the
entire draft to remove bugs from the documentation drafting.

Publishing Phase

Here, in this stage, technical writers bring out the document, i.e., release it with the product or as
online help, and take a print of the entire document. The print is taken to check if the alignment
is proper or not, and reading the hard copy also helps in getting a clear picture of the format and
a few other documentation errors. Hyperlinks are added to the content in case of online release.

Maintenance Phase

In this stage, if there is an update required to the document after the initial release, technical
writers or content developers add updates, alter or modify the documentation. As the release of
new products into the market, the online documentation or the document released earlier is
updated.

Ethical Considerations in Technical Writing

The Importance of Ethical Responsibility

Safety, security, and confidentiality are foundational for establishing confidence with your
audience. To build a relationship of trust, consumers rely on the reputation and identity an
organization projects. When technical writers behave unethically, illegal, or immorally, all trust
is lost. It is often difficult to regain it.

Ethical Considerations

Should we care about ethics in our lives, in our professions, and/or in our technical writing?
Your goal is to understand why the answer to these questions is yes. When you write an ethical
document, consider the following:

 Responsibility
 Integrity
 Trust
 Transparency
  Justice
 Equity
 Regulations
 Citations

Ethical Writing: Setting a Firm Ethical Tone

Ethics consists of the individual standards of behavior you exhibit in your personal and
professional lives. It establishes the levels of honesty, empathy, trustworthiness, and other virtues
that identify your personal behavior and your public reputation.

In your personal life, ethics sets norms for the ways in which you interact with family, friends,
and colleagues. Ethical acts are generally considered voluntary and personal—often based on our
perception or position on what is right or what is wrong. In industry, each employee has a choice
in making an ethical or unethical decision. Whenever you think about the behavior you expect of
yourself in your personal life and as a professional, you are engaging in a philosophical dialogue
with yourself to establish the standards of behavior you choose to uphold. That is your ethical
position.

Professional Ethics

Your success in a professional setting entails more than simply earning money and promotions.
It may also mean treating stakeholders--employees, customers, clients--with honesty and respect.
It may come from the sense of pride you feel about engaging in honest practices, not just because
the law or policy demands it, but because you demand it of yourself.
Thus, professional ethics guides the conduct by which technical writers abide by laws,
regulations, and policies. Professional ethics means respecting the rights of stakeholders and the
communities in which they live. Professional ethics centers on principles of good conduct
through civil, social, economical, environmental, and lawful actions.

In our professional lives, ethics guides our interactions. Professional ethics consist of businesses
having a reputation of composing standards and displaying conduct that exemplifies civil and
lawful actions that build trust, confidence, and goodwill.

Acting with Integrity

Integrity is unity between what we say and what we do. Being a professional of integrity means
consistently striving to be the best person you can be in all your interactions with others. It
means you practice what you do based upon reasoning, laws, morality, and justice.

Although ethics are an individual choice, in the professional world, ethical choices by employees
often define the success of an organization. Some professions, such as engineering, journalism,
and medicine have traditional codes of ethics. Essentially, a code of ethics is a commitment to
treat with honesty and integrity customers, clients, employees, and others affiliated with a
profession. The Hippocratic Oath, for example, is embraced by most professionals in health care
today as an appropriate standard always owed to patients by physicians, nurses, and others in the
field. This obligation traces its etymology to ancient Greece and the physician Hippocrates.

Social responsibility represents the interaction and collaboration with stakeholders to reflect the
concerns of communities which an organization serves. Social responsibility includes:
  Practices that are inclusive and diverse
 Activities that help local communities and stakeholders

An example of an organization implementing social responsibility is Warby Parker. Executives

at Warby Parker, an online prescription glasses retailer, displayed social responsibility by
pledging $1 million to organizations and initiatives that focused on combating systemic racism.
This outreach demonstrates that executives understand the importance of addressing inclusion
and diversity.

Legal responsibility represents practices that are in compliance with local, state, federal, and
industry regulations and laws.

Many people conflate legal and ethical compliance. They are, however, totally different and call
for different standards of behavior. What is legal isn't always ethical. The purpose of a law is to
establish and maintain a functioning society. Compliance with these legal standards is strictly
mandatory: If we violate these standards, we are subject to punishment.
Therefore, compliance in terms of professional ethics generally refers to the extent by which an
organization conducts its operations in accordance with applicable regulations, statutes, and
laws. Yet this represents only a baseline minimum. Organizations today need to be focused not
only on complying with the letter of the law but also on going above and beyond that basic
mandatory requirement to consider ethical practices for their stakeholders and do what is right.

Ethical Writing Considerations

 Provide details and explanations

 Include information that is pertinent to the topic
 Analyze content to determine its efficacy
 Provide introductions, overviews, and transitions
 Analyze content to envision the consequences of possible actions or responses
 Include information that reflects the concerns and feedback of stakeholders
 Compose content that is easy to read and follow
 Create a shared sense of purpose among the document, readers, and stakeholders and
inspire people to work together in pursuit of a common goal
 Engage as many people as possible in conversation and communicate using an audience-
centered approach

Plagiarizing is misrepresenting the source or facts, most commonly when you claim the ideas
you are writing about are yours. When you are researching professional documents, make sure
you are using material with permission. If you are writing about what you researched, make sure
you are citing the sources of your information and giving credit to all the necessary researchers.

Attribution refers to acknowledging and recognizing the source of information used in writing,
ideas, concepts, and creations. Depending on the creation, the attribution is valid in various
forms.

This rule also extends beyond writing to what is referred to as intellectual property. Intellectual
property includes the following:
Patents and trademarks are company names (WalMart), logos (the Target bullseye), processes
or slogans (I’m lovin’ it) that belong to a person or company. None of these things can be used
without proper recognition of or approval from the appropriate company or individual involved.

A company uses a ™ to show something is trademarked or an ® for something registered with

the U.S Patent and Trademark Office. An example would be Nike™ and their famous swoosh
symbol.

The legal consequences are most notable when one considers writing in the professional world.
While plagiarizing may give you a failing grade in a class, plagiarizing in the workplace can not
only get you fired, but could result in a costly lawsuit or possibly even jail time. It is not only
ethical to follow these rules, it is an enforced law. Make sure you properly document all sources
so as not to mislead a reader.

Spend a few minutes viewing the following website for clarification on copyright, trademark,
and registered trademark: United States Patent and Trademark Office

Copyright law includes items whose distribution is protected by law (books, movies, or
software). The copyright symbol is shown with a ©. Copyright is different from plagiarism in
that it is a legal issue. Only the copyright holder, the person/organization who owns the protected
item, can copy it.

Any written document, once produced, is copyrighted by law. That means if you are borrowing a
good idea from a friend at another company, you must cite them as a source. Also, it is a good
idea to cite sources from inside your own company, as well. You wouldn’t want someone else
taking credit for your ideas. Why should you treat others any differently?

A Professional Document is a Legal Document

Most documents written by employees represent the position and commitments of the
organization itself. There are always legal issues to consider when writing a professional
document and they reflect in writing style and content. Professional documents can serve as
evidence in disputes over contracts and in product liability lawsuits. A lawsuit is a civil action
brought in court. Today, the average company is involved in 400 lawsuits at any given time.
While most companies win their lawsuits, being caught in a lawsuit has many consequences.
Lawsuits cost companies time and money. The money spent on lawyers and the time spent in
court takes away resources a company could use for improving business and products, or hiring
additional employees. Lawsuits also have ramifications for a business’s reputation.

One of the main reasons a company gets involved in a lawsuit is because of unclear writing.
When in a lawsuit, all documents may be subpoenaed. This means that any document from
memos and emails to proposals and tweets can be subject to review by a court of law.

Writing Technical Documents

Technical documentation is essential for all companies, regardless of their industry. Whether it’s
consumer-oriented, such as assembly instructions for furniture, or internal procedures for
invoicing, every standardized process requires proper documentation.

These documents provide users with an overview of the product or process, explain what to
expect, and guide them through each step or challenge to achieve the desired outcome.
In order to help you effectively communicate with your users, staff, and potential customers,
we’ll review the 12 common types of technical documents and how they can provide guidance
on how to use your product, explain internal processes, and even enhance sales and marketing
efforts.

Types of Technical Documentation

All types of technical documentation fall into three main categories: product documentation,
process documentation, and sales and marketing documents. Here’s how you can differentiate
between them:

1. Product documentation
Product documentation encompasses in-depth guides, training manuals, and information that
show users how a product should work or how to use a product.

When most people say ―technical documentation,‖ they’re usually talking about product
documentation. Product documents typically cover instructions and tutorials to help end-users
accomplish a task

2. Process documentation
Process documentation, on the other hand, is a document that shows an internal team what they
need to know to execute a task properly. It covers information that helps create consistency and
accountability within your organization, including:

 Plans, schedules, and notes that establish standards and patterns for different processes
 Reports and metrics that track project, staff, and resource performance
 Internal wiki

To assist your creation of documentation, there are a variety of process documentation tools to
choose from. Consider your unique industry and business needs to find the right tool.

3. Sales and marketing documentation

Sales and marketing documentation present information to help your organization establish its
niche in the market and provide sales enablement content to win more customers. A
few technical writing examples of these types of documents include:

 Market requirement and business plan documents that help set the groundwork for a
company
 White papers and case studies to show potential customers the real-life application of
your product or service.
 RFPs and proposals that help attract and secure business partners and new contracts.

5 Types of Product-Based Technical Document

There are five major types of product technical documents; product manuals, user guides, repair
manuals, API documentation, and SDK documentation.

1. Product manuals
A product manual explains the parts of a product, where you can find each part, and what each
part is used for. It details everything a user needs to know about how a product functions.
Although product manuals are most common with physical products because most of them
contain product part diagrams and illustrations, they can be created for any kind of product.

Here’s a page from the product manual of networking solution provider Cisco:

To create product manuals, there are three main steps that need to be followed:

 Decide what the manual is going to cover

 Create appropriate illustrations for the sections that need them
 Write clear explanations of each step in the process
You may decide to offer your product manual as an interactive experience that combines UI
patterns like walkthroughs, pop-ups, explainer videos, and beacons to encourage learning in the
flow of work – or stick a more traditional interactive PDF.

2. Repair manuals
Repair manuals explain the correct way to fix a damaged product and make it easy for customers
to navigate hardware problems or a combination of issues.

When people deal with these kinds of situations, it’s helpful to have clear, concise information
that walks them through repairs quickly and efficiently. To create an effective repair manual, you
need to anticipate every kind of product damage customers may face, then explain how to
navigate it.

3. User guides
User guides are a common form of user documentation that explain how a product works to its
users. They are particularly useful during the onboarding process, especially interactive step-by-
step guides, as they help users achieve their desired results quickly. These guides employ simple
language and demonstrations to explain complex features and troubleshoot common issues,
making them easy for beginners to understand.
To create a helpful user guide, it’s important to know what users want to achieve and adjust the language
accordingly. For instance, if the guide is intended for developers, it may be helpful to provide code
samples. However, for non-technical users, it’s best to provide clear and easy-to-understand guidance.

4. API documentation
API documentation explains how developers can integrate other products with your product
using an API (application programming interface).

When creating API documentation, it’s important to think about both the advantages that clients
will gain from using your product (business value) and the technical specifications for how the
API should be consumed to work effectively. This means including details about the API’s
functions, classes, arguments, and return types in your documentation.
5. SDK (software development kit) documentation
SDKs are helper documents or libraries that describe the tools used to develop apps for a specific
platform or product. Developers use SDK documentation to guide them when they create apps
for a specific product/platform.

To create your product’s SDK doc, you’ll need to compile a library of tools, compilers,
debuggers, code samples, APIs, etc.

3 Types of Process-Based Technical Documents

Technical documents outline the necessary steps for your team to complete specific tasks. The
following are the most common types of technical documents you may come across:

1. Project plans
Project plans define a project’s goals and objectives and offer a map of how to get there. They
describe every step you and your team need to follow to complete a task or deliver a product.
They help you stay focused on your overall goals and also document key dates so you can track
progress toward them.
At the start of a project, project managers develop plans, whether it’s for implementing new
accounting software or developing a new computer program.

2. Business standards
Business standards define the rules, guidelines, and benchmarks your business should always
meet in particular areas (e.g., customer service benchmarks, quality benchmarks, operations).
They’re used during employee onboarding and as helpful references in a moment of need.

To create your company’s business standards, define your company values, explain how staff
should respond to situations in ways that reflect your values, and set your organization’s
benchmarks.
3. Test schedules
Test schedules explain the steps, tasks, dates, and responsibilities involved in software testing.
They’re used to anticipate and assign resources, like the equipment and engineers needed to run a
test. Test schedules help to minimize the risk involved with software development because it
allows you to catch issues earlier with constant testing. They help to prevent accidents — or at
least reduce the duration of those accidents.

When creating a test schedule, it’s important to start by developing a test plan that outlines the
process for reviewing, tracking, and approving tests. Once the plan is in place, then list specific
dates such as release and beta entry dates.
4 Types of Sales and Marketing Technical
Documents
Technical documents related to sales and marketing provide valuable information that can help
you attract and retain customers. By utilizing these documents, you can effectively pitch your
products or services and generate interest from potential clients.

To give you an idea, here are four types of sales and marketing technical documents:

1. Market requirements documents

Market requirements documents (MRDs) provide a comprehensive overview of your potential
customer base, their specific needs, and the competitive landscape. By thoroughly analyzing
these factors, businesses can gain valuable insights to inform their product strategy, improve
customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive advantage in the market.

To create an MRD, collect info on customer problems and the reasons for the issues. You’ll
gather data like the market problem, market opportunity, customer demographics, and use cases.

2. White papers
White papers are in-depth reports or guides about specific topics. They’re used to convince
readers of your expertise and subtly suggest that your product is the best product to solve their
problem.

To create an effective white paper, keep it focused on delivering value — including original data
and expert analysis — rather than selling your product. Even without making a direct sales pitch,
white papers are helpful for your marketing because they build brand trust.
3. Case studies
Case studies are an excellent way to prove your value to potential customers because they show
how your product helped a specific customer achieve their desired results.

You’ll typically need to interview a current or past customer to create a case study. The
interview should include questions that help you get hard numbers to prove that your company
delivered results. You’ll also document the customer’s unique story of how they struggled before
your product and the change your product brought.

4. RFPs and proposals

A request for proposal (RFPs) is a document that announces a project and solicits bids for it,
while proposals are documents that persuade customers or investors to buy a product/service.
Companies use both to attract their ideal business partners, whether that’s vendors, investors, or
customers. In both documents, you’ll need to mention key points like the project overview,
company background, project scope, and goals
Tips for Creating Technical Documentation
Creating technical documentation that is clear, concise, and easy to understand is essential for
any product or service. To achieve this, here are some helpful tips and best practices:
 Understand your audience: The first rule of any writing is to know who you’re writing for.
Tailor the complexity, tone, and style of your documentation to match the knowledge and needs
of its intended readers.
 Use clear, concise language: Avoid jargon and unnecessary technical terms where possible. If
you have to use technical terms, provide a glossary and make definitions short and easy to
understand.
 Organize information logically: Structure your documentation in a way that makes it easy for
users to find the information they need. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break up
text and make it more digestible.
 Include visuals: Diagrams, screenshots, and other visuals can help explain a concept more
clearly than text alone. You can use them to illustrate complex processes or workflows.
 Write step-by-step instructions: When explaining a process, break it down into simple, step-by-
step instructions. This makes it easier for users to follow along.
 Provide real-life examples: Whenever possible, include real-life examples to illustrate your
points. This can make abstract or complex concepts much more relatable.
 Keep documentation up-to-date: Outdated documentation can be worse than no documentation
at all. Make sure to regularly update your documents to reflect any changes or updates to your
product or service.
 Test your documentation: Before releasing your documentation, have someone who is not
familiar with the product try to use it based on your instructions. This can help identify any gaps
or areas that are unclear or confusing.
 Use tools and templates: There are several tools and templates available that can help streamline
the process of creating technical documentation. These can help ensure consistency and save
time.
 Gather feedback: Encourage users to provide feedback on your documentation to help you
identify areas for improvement and better meet the needs of your users.
 Accessibility: Make sure your documentation is accessible to all potential users. This might
involve considering font sizes, language, color contrasts, devices, and providing alt text for
images.