Lancet Worldwide Outsourcing News
Requirements for Good Technical Writing
I have mentored a number of technical writers and the one question I have been most frequently asked is related to the importance of specialized technical knowledge which is required in order to produce sound documentation of any particular technical subject. In other words, does someone need to be a computer expert, perhaps a programmer or engineer, before they can produce a worthy deliverable for the IT industry? Or, for that matter, how much background knowledge in Science would a writer need to have, to write a good deliverable that properly delineates scientific concepts to the audience?
Some experts believe that good writing skills and the proper understanding of the methodology of the best practices of technical documentation are of utmost importance in producing good documentation. As for the inherent technical subject matter of the assignment, it is of secondary importance in that a background of technical specialization is of little or no consequence. The idea is that a skilled technical writer with good writing skills will understand technical concepts, enough to provide a very acceptable deliverable. Actually, this view holds that too much expert knowledge of the subject matter, far from being an asset, is a liability.
The other viewpoint—the opposite of the previous one—places subject matter knowledge as the key element in producing a good deliverable. Implicit in this view is the question: How can someone write about something they are not completely thorough with. It should follow from this reasoning that a subject matter expert (SME) is the best person to take up the role of a technical writer.
My position is: While I can’t see someone producing a good document without being thorough with the conventions and rules of technical writing and without having strong writing skills of grammar and style, I don’t want to downplay the importance of the requirement of technical background as being essential. What is needed is a cross between the two commonly held view points. Indeed, good writing skills and familiarity with conventions of Technical Writing combined with adequate technical understanding of subject matter of the assignment would make for an ideal Technical Writer.This is not an easy combination and this is the reason why many deliverables are either cryptic or even downright unprofessional.
One reason why Lancet Worldwide has on board, qualified programmers with technical writing certification or background, or Science and Biotechnology experts with Technical writing background is to make sure the business can assure top quality of documentation. With writing experts with diverse specialized disciplines, and all of them fully acquainted with the conventions and practices of good technical writing skills, we aspire to meet the top industry standards in doing assignments for the Government or the private sector.
Lancet Worldwide, Akbar Burney - Technical Outsourcing Consultant
Published Sun, 28 Oct 2007 07:12:42 -0400
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