Be Concise

When giving overview information, be concise. Save the details and flowing language for those that want them or have the time, but don't slow down the skimmer. This doesn't mean skip the details, just keep them from people who don't need them.

Bricklin, Dan. Good Documents (1998). Articles>Writing>Workplace>Technical Writing

Perception at Work    

A technical writer is not respected; information providers and reviewers do not understand the importance of documentation; my deadlines are not given priority. Do these statements sound familiar? Are there any solutions to these woes that will help us deliver the best output to the end-user?

Lawrence, Prema. International Journal for Technical Communication (2006). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Workplace

Placing Value on User Assistance

User assistance writers are often the Rodney Dangerfields of the UX world, bemoaning the fact that we don’t get any respect. I think the real problem is that user assistance folks are not particularly good at communicating the ways in which we add value to an enterprise. This column explores two models that show how user assistance adds value and how we can communicate that value to those who pay our salaries—something I would like to encourage other user assistance writers to do.

Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Workplace

Old Media, Technical Writers, and the Evolution of Documentation

Technical writers are an important and underutilized asset to most businesses; however, I also believe that technical writers have to fundamentally alter the way they approach the problem of educating users and helping them find the answers they need before they will be properly valued by the businesses that employ them.

LugIron Software Blog (2009). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Workplace

Technical Communications as a Profit Center

Those within technical communications have long argued that product documentation provides significant value in terms of a customer satisfaction and downstream savings in customer support and service. In the broader, enterprise perspective, however, documentation is generally viewed as simply one of many requirements for product launch. This perspective is often the result of the lack of visibility that is generally available into the business value contributed by product documentation. Aberdeen investigated and isolated the quantifiable business impact of technical communications makes for 165 participating companies. An analysis of this data indicates that when leveraged effectively, technical communications stands to contribute as much as a 42% increase in customer satisfaction and an associated 45% increase in product revenue. This report provides a quantified framework for understanding the potential impact on technical communications makes for business profitability as well as the best practices to adopt to drive greater value from this organization.

David Houlihan. Aberdeen Group (2009). Articles>Documentation>Workplace>Technical Writing