Reasons for hiring a technical writer
by Joe Woodard

Many of the reasons for hiring a technical writer depend on how longterm an engineering company's goals are. If the company is getting by with its current work process, managers may see the addition of another worker as an expense rather than an investment. They often think so because technical writing is seen as an enhancement to the value of an already created product, rather than part of the production process necessary to complete a product. That view of technical communication is reinforced if the company already has something to sell and customers buy it. The technical writer is usually brought in to spiff up existing user documentation in order to boost sales. The writer works entirely after the fact. Such companies may believe, as indicated by initial sales success, that technical writing is a kind of glitz best handled by marketing.

Intense programming techniques, like so-called Extreme Programming, are vital for quickly creating a software product when time to market must be kept as short as possible. Most managers view production as a sort of emergency in current economic conditions. The oft quoted anecdote of an analogous situation is the answer to General George S. Patton's question in World War II, "Sargent, how soon will that pontoon bridge over the river be ready?" The Sargent explained, "The bridge can be built tomorrow, but we won't have the paperwork done until the end of the week." That 'how we won the war' approach may gain the high ground in a war, but at great cost paid by those who must remake the land into something more useful. In spite of the intended lesson in that war story, remember that the U.S. Armed Forces are the largest technical trainer in the world with the most thorough documentation. However U.S. military forces are used, they are prepared by detailed training information.

Thorough internal system documentation and adequate user manuals can be viewed as part of the production process if they serve to smooth production, expand it, ensure complete testing, train users, and reduce support costs after sale. Technical writing serves such functions if the company wishes to record product specifications in requirements and design documents that:

These are some good reasons to make technical documentation part of engineered products.

Internal documentation cuts the cost of building items because managers, well informed by technical specification and design documents, can plan constuction that anticipates multiple purposes and future designs.

Internal documentation helps engineers cooperate as the company grows, separating engineers from each other and making collaboration difficult in the absence of good technical communication.

Good system documents help train new engineers more quickly, reducing training expenses.

Adequate internal documentation provides timely information to the marketing folks so they can plan strategies and arrange partnerships for sales.

A properly prepared documentation set can be created for print and on-line presentation, in a look-and-feel appropriate to individual resellers if need be, without spending all the time and effort it takes to assemble the original set of information. For example, information designed to anticipate publication in various forms greatly lowers the cost of web based documentation derived from the same set of information as print documents.

Good user manuals combined with system documentation make acceptance testing by customers easier and cheaper.

Good user manuals bring customer IT and end user audiences on-line quicker, aiding sales and reducing user training costs. Ease of use and lowered expense makes the product more attractive to customers.

Complete user manuals, informed by important and relevant details from system documentation, reduce support costs by 20% to 40%.

Adequately prepared manuals anticipate internationalization making sales in Europe and Asia far easier without incurring costs of preparing such materials from scratch.

Poor or absent documentation = increased market risk

Lacking good technical documents in its products, a company faces greater risks as it grows and expands its product line. Support becomes increasingly difficult. Testing is an art always stretched to the limit. Customer dissatisfaction with training and support endangers sales. New markets become harder to crack since many original development expenses must be repeated.

A long term approach to production requires technical documentation.

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