A technical writer (also called a technical communicator[1]) is a professional writer who designs, creates, and maintains technical documentation. This documentation includes online help, user guides, Instructions for Use or IFU manuals, white papers, design specifications, system manuals, and other documents.
Engineers, scientists, and other professionals may also produce technical writing, usually handing their work to a professional technical writer for proofreading, editing, and formatting. A technical writer produces technical documentation for technical, business, and consumer audiences.
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In addition to solid research, language, and writing skills, a technical writer may have skills in:
Technical writing may be on any subject that requires explanation to a particular audience. A technical writer is not usually a subject matter expert (SME), but possesses and applies expertise to interview SMEs and conduct research necessary to produce accurate, comprehensive documents. Companies, governments, and other institutions typically hire technical writers not for expertise in a particular subject, but for expertise in technical writing, i.e., their ability to gather information, analyze subject and audience and produce clear documentation.
A good technical writer creates documentation that is accurate, complete, unambiguous, and as concise as possible. Technical writers create documentation in many forms: printed, web-based or other electronic documentation, training materials, and industrial film scripts.
Technical writers work under many job titles, including Technical Communicator, Information Developer, Data Development Engineer, and Technical Documentation Specialist. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, a technical writer is often called a technical author or knowledge author. In the United States, technical writers with programming skills are called programmer writers.
Technical writers normally possess a mixture of technical and language abilities. They may have a degree or certificate in technical communications. Many technical writers switch from another technical field such as engineering or science, often after learning the required skills through technical communications classes.
A good technical writer has the ability to create, assimilate, and convey technical material in a concise and effective manner. A technical writer may specialize in a particular area. For example, API writers mostly work on API documents, while other technical writers specialize in electronic commerce, manufacturing, scientific, or medical material.
To create a technical document, a technical writer must understand the audience, the purpose, and the product. The writer gathers information by studying existing material, interviewing SMEs, and actually using the products to be documented. The technical writer also studies the audience to learn their needs and technical understanding level.
A technical publications development life cycle consists of five distinct phases, which are coordinated with the overall product development plan:[2]
Well-formed technical documents follow common publishing guidelines. Technical documentation comes in many styles and formats, depending on the medium. Printed and online documentation differ in necessary ways but adhere to largely identical guidelines for prose, information structure, and layout. Usually, technical writers follow formatting conventions described in a standard style guide. In the US, technical writers typically use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Many companies have internal corporate style guides that cover specific corporate issues such as logo use, branding, and other aspects of corporate style. The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications is typical of these.
Engineering projects, particularly defense or aerospace related projects, often follow national and international documentation standards—such as ATA100 for civil aircraft or S1000D for defense platforms.
Technical writers often work as part of a writing or project development team. Typically, the writer finishes a draft and passes it to one or more SMEs who conduct a technical review to verify accuracy and completeness. An editorial review is performed by another writer or technical editor who performs a copy edit that includes conformance to styles, grammar, readability, and requests for clarifications or other suggestions. In some cases the writer or others test the document on audience members in order to make usability improvements. A final production typically follows an inspection checklist to ensure the quality and uniformity of the published product.[3]
On a project team, a technical writer develops the product documentation as other members of the team develop the product. For example, as engineers design and integrate a product, the technical writer generates manuals that go with the product. These manuals serve as a repository of user-oriented knowledge gained by the product development, testing, and technical support teams, including best practices for the use of the product.
A technical writer has no standard career path, but technical writers may move into project management over other writers. A writer may advance to a senior technical writer position, handling complex projects or a small team of writers and editors. In larger groups, a documentation manager might handle multiple projects and teams.
Technical writers may also gain expertise in a particular technical domain and branch into related forms, such as software quality analysis or business analysis. A technical writer who becomes a subject matter expert in a field may transition from technical writing to work in that field.
Technical writers with expertise in writing skills can join printed media or electronic media, and would provide an opportunity to make handsome money and luxury of flexible working hours. A senior writer in some software documentation departments is sometimes called an individual contributor (IC). See also API writer. In API/software documentation, ICs typically work with a team of developers or testers across many physical locations. In such software development in "software research organizations," an IC plays an important role in the delivery of API/Software documentation.