Writing, as most people discover, is about understanding a subject well and being able to translate your thoughts into words.
If your written communication skills have received kudos and you‘ve been thinking of content rather than code, this article is for you. I also presume that you‘ve figured out why you would rather write than code…
Here are some tips for making the transition easy and putting your technical skills to use.
Understand the Document Life Cycle: A software document is pretty much like a mini project. The document development life cycle (called the DDLC) is pretty much like the SDLC and once you understand this, it becomes easier to churn out the document.
Plan: But not so much that the plan gets in the way. Just like you need to have a software project plan, you must also plan your document and have some internal deadlines and milestones. While writing a technical document, especially for a new product, most of your dependency will be on other teams who are developing the product. Consequently, you will need to follow up and get the required information, so that you can meet the deadlines.
Review: Just like code review is done; make sure that an SME (Subject Matter Expert) reviews your document for correctness and accuracy. This may require you to use some of your persuasive skills, rather than demand, since like it or not, the techies will be busy with their own deadlines.
Be sensitive: Since you are now on the other side, it becomes easy to criticize badly-written logic, find bugs and comment on user interface convenience. Avoid making tactless comments and instead make a few tactful suggestions. If there is no follow-up, then speak to someone appropriate, to get your suggestions implemented and make sure that there is a process in place to get your feedback in.
Change your Mindset: If you‘ve been in the thick of things so far, it may jar you if you discover that your document is not really at the top of people’s minds, because they are dealing with other project issues. All they would want is a good document and they don’t care about how hard you worked on it. This is quite natural; people will rave about a good product. Feel proud to be part of the team
Put your experience to use: The big advantage of having been a techie is that you understand the development team’s mindset and can anticipate their problems. Your understanding of technology will help you during team interactions and stand you in good stead. A word of caution: While other techies appreciate people with a good understanding of technology, make sure you don’t undermine their skills!
Use your holistic knowledge: Remember that as a technical writer, you have insight into various product features. You can write better and create links within the document and also find any inconsistencies and highlight them. As a technical writer, you often become one of the first users of the product, so you can give constructive feedback as well.
Be passionate about your writing!
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.
Chillibreeze offers Indian writers the opportunity to work on customer projects. We are also India’s biggest writer network and a one-stop shop for Indian writers and editors. The writers’ section on Chillibreeze offers freelance writers and editors a variety of tools to advance their careers. Resources for writers include:
