Start Writing Technical Documentation TODAY!: A Primer on Methods

Tongue-in-cheek title notwithstanding, this book is a powerful entry-level pathway to a successful technical writing career. Let me help you cut through the morass of how-to books. With this simple primer, you'll learn how to assess a process, interview subject matter experts, and convert raw text into a succinct, easy-to-scan format. Learn from my fifteen-plus years experience as a technical writer and instructional designer. My techniques are based on real hands-on experience I used writing procedures and training materials for Fortune 500 companies. You’re suddenly expected to navigate a world of functional specifications, unit test logs, collections of systems integration testing, business analysts process flows, and change management initiative’s flow charts. The immediate tools at your disposal? You have blank sheets of paper and chaotic masses of words, graphics, presentations, and unformed ideas. It’s up to you to fashion it all into something concise, informative and readable. It’s up to you to make the dull raw materials shine, to guide the reader not unlike a crossing guard leading a child across the street. How does the novice tackle such a daunting task? This book is a primer that will get you started by using a systematic approach and the tools that will help set expectations for future projects. Use this primer as a way to get started writing user guides, job aids, procedure manuals, step-by-step instructions and training guides.