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Steps in the Technical Writing Process

The document outlines the 5 step technical writing process: 1) Plan scope, timing, process, audience and existing information. 2) Structure with a narrative, process, library or system structure. 3) Write drafts converting notes to content. 4) Review through multiple revisions. 5) Publish the final document by email, upload or more complex logistics. Planning, structuring and reviewing take most effort with writing as a smaller part of the process.

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Tania kumari
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160 views10 pages

Steps in the Technical Writing Process

The document outlines the 5 step technical writing process: 1) Plan scope, timing, process, audience and existing information. 2) Structure with a narrative, process, library or system structure. 3) Write drafts converting notes to content. 4) Review through multiple revisions. 5) Publish the final document by email, upload or more complex logistics. Planning, structuring and reviewing take most effort with writing as a smaller part of the process.

Uploaded by

Tania kumari
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

TECHNICAL WRITING PROCESS

STEP 1- PLAN
 When you’re planning to write technical
documents, you should ask yourself:
 Scope – How many documents do I need to write?
What are their key characteristics? Am I going to
publish them in multiple formats – if so, are there
any production requirements I should be aware of?
 Timing – How long do I need to schedule for
review cycles? What’s the final deadline?
 Process – What are the high level steps that I need
to follow to create the documents?
Along with these basic questions there
are some specific writing-related
questions that you’ll need to consider in
your documentation project:
Audience – who am I writing for?
Reviewers / Subject Matter Experts
Existing information
Style guide / templates
STEP 2- STRUCTURE
 A structure is the backbone of your
document – the hierarchy of headings that
define the logical order that it will
progress.
 Structure is absolutely essential to
successful documents, and it’s something
that you should develop before you start
writing.
 There are a number of common structural
approaches when it comes to technical documents:
 Narrative structure – The traditional approach –
intro, body, conclusion.

 Process-based
structure – Common in technical
documentation such as procedures and user guides.

 Library
structure – A collection of articles on a
common topic, loosely structured.

 System-based structure – Describing the components


of a system such as an auto manual.
STEP 3- WRITE
 Writing is where you convert your bare-bones table
of contents and notes into a series of drafts,
culminating in a draft that’s ready for formal review.
 Contrary to popular impression, writing is only about
20-30% of the process in a well-planned document –
much of the effort goes into planning, structuring,
and reviewing your work.
 In fact, the more time you spend planning and
structuring your work, the less time you’re likely to
spend on writing.
STEP 4- REVIEW
 The final – and most crucial – aspect of review is
sign off. This is the point where both you – as the
writer – and your reviewers are satisfied that your
document is in a fit state to be published to the world
at large.
 Review also involves an element of writing –
documents will be reviewed, then revised. High-
profile documents – the ones where it really pays to
put the effort in to making sure they’re perfect – will
be reviewed and revised many times before they’re
ready to publish.
STEP 5- PUBLISH
 Publishing can be a complicated process – or
it can be extremely easy. Publication is where
writers manufacture and launch the final
product.
 This might be as straightforward as emailing
an approved document to your manager, or
uploading it to a content management system.
 On the other hand, it might involve some
fairly complicated logistics.

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