There’s a lot more to technical writing than writing, and at the November 2006 meeting of the STC Canada West Coast chapter, engineer and technical communicator Andre Lanz discussed many of the additional tasks and skills required by professionals in our field.
To quote from his bio, “Andre Lanz is an engineer and president of his own technical documentation company. Over the past 10 years, he has researched, written and illustrated over 10,000 pages of original technical documentation, predominantly for the high-tech industry. His professional experience includes project management, business administration, corporate financing, R&D, systems engineering, product development, quality control, and customer support. In his spare time, Andre teaches part-time at BCIT as part of the Technical Writing Program and spends time with his family, including a set of high-energy triplets.” He has worked both in-house and as a contractor, as employer and employee, so he knows all sides of the business.
Quite a long list of accomplishments, exemplifying the qualifications necessary to present a professional image - including the organizational skills one gains from raising triplets!
Andre described many of the tasks that technical writers must be able to accomplish, and the skills needed to do so. The more of these you can complete successfully, the more professional you are.
Collecting information. Research is often the most time-consuming phase of a project — and it should be. You must be able to read schematics; observe, operate, and maintain equipment; understand engineering documents; and interview experts to extract useful information. The latter requires much more than just writing down what the expert tells you, because the technical expert rarely presents information in a form that the user wants. Your job is to put flesh on the bones, and you must be able to learn quickly. You will find that experts are much more willing to listen, and to talk, if you’ve done your homework first and have a good idea of what the product does. Use the experts to confirm or expand your knowledge, not to provide a complete demo. Use short, informal conversations rather than marathon meetings to find out what you need to know.
Writing. Every technical writer is assumed to know how to write competently and to be familiar with the rules of style, grammar, and consistency. You must also be able to follow — or create — a style guide for your work, and to keep up to date with the latest technology and tools of our profession.
Editing. According to Andre, a good editor checks for technical accuracy, completeness, consistency, grammar, formatting, and adherence to the style guide. The writer’s draft should be 95 percent complete before editing — and it’s not the editor’s job to fix your spelling. This job calls for both technical and language skills. If your work will be reviewed by multiple editors or subject experts, decide in advance who will have the final say in case of disagreements.
Illustrating. If your documentation includes illustrations, you must be able to create graphics and follow a style guide for fonts, sizes, and other conventions. You might also need skills in photography, working with 3D models, and using one or more computer graphics programs, in addition to knowledge of the product or process you are illustrating.
Formatting. Know how to follow a style guide for text and graphics formatting, and keep your artistic, typographic, and computer skills current.
Publishing and distributing. Be familiar with reprographic and offset printing, electronic publishing, and distribution methods, and use a document control system to ensure that the final, finished copy of the work is the one that is published.
Managing translation. Know about the process of translation, and be aware that it always takes longer than you planned.
Administrative tasks. Become familiar with budgeting, scheduling, estimating time and work, preparing proposals, reviewing legal contracts, tracking and reporting progress, managing people, conducting presentations and meetings, and accounting. Be aware, and be able to communicate to others, that time spent planning before you start a project can save a great deal of time and aggravation later. Be able to assess risks, see the bigger picture, and clearly define the deliverables so you know when the project is finished.
Andre feels that technical writing is more about being technical than about writing. Being a technical writer is like being a translator — you have to be comfortable in both languages to be able to do a professional job. His recipe for professional success: work in an area in which you are technically competent; work for people who appreciate what you do and reward it; provide value; and last but not least, “panic early.”
This article covers only the highlights of Andre’s wide-ranging presentation. For more details, check the STC Canada West Coast website to see his full slide show.
