Why Technical Writers Shouldn’t Be Writers

by George Slaughter

To be successful, writers must consult with subject matter experts (SMEs). Some SMEs are nearby, while others are in other countries. Some speak in engineer-speak, while others take pride in extensively rewriting your drafts because they think of themselves as writers. Some are easily available, while others always seem to be away from their desk.

Regardless of your situation, the following tips can help you be successful in working with SMEs.

• Do your homework. Often, the answers to your questions are in the change forms, engineering reports, marketing specs, project plans, or other material on the team Intranet site (or distributed during a team meeting). Review these documents before approaching the SME.
• Know who to ask. Every product team has one or two people who become your go-to people. (Sometimes they are assigned this role, sometimes not.) Go to these people with your questions first. If they don’t immediately know the answer, they know who else on the team would know—and they can help grease the tracks for you to ask those people.
• Know what to ask. You can demonstrate that you’ve done your homework when you share what you’ve learned as you ask the question. For instance, “The engineering specs say the software will have certain functionality. Yet the change request from last week’s meeting says that this functionality will be different. Can you explain the differences?”
• Know when to ask. Check your company’s Microsoft Outlook directory to see when your SME would be available to take your questions. In some cases, it’s OK to ask your questions during team meetings. Most times, however, it’s better to ask the SME in a one-on-one situation, thereby not tying up everyone else’s time.
• Know how to ask. Personal meetings are best because of the immediacy of feedback. In addition, the tone and inflection of one’s voice, along with nonverbal gestures, promote faster and greater understanding. Phone calls are second best for all these reasons except for nonverbal gestures. Instant messaging software, such as Microsoft Office Communicator or Yahoo Messenger, helps ensure immediacy of feedback. While e-mail is often the only option, it is not always the best option because feedback isn’t immediate, and others who have no role in the conversation are often included, which can lead both to misunderstandings and unwanted delays for clarification.
• Know when to bribe. When posting your drafts for review, think of an incentive to get people to return their feedback to you more quickly. What you offer depends on the team and what you’re willing to provide. Perhaps you could bring cookies or other refreshments to the review meeting.
• Know when to bludgeon. Sometimes bribery doesn’t work and you must resort to other, arguably devious, tactics. If you find it necessary to bludgeon your reviewers, let your project manager—or someone with supervisory authority—do the deed.
• Build a rapport. One project manager I know plays in a rock-and-roll band on the weekends. While I’ve not heard his band play, I’m sure they do a marvelous job. Another project manager is a loyal Auburn University alumnus and football fan, while an engineer on this same team is a loyal alumnus and fan of the University of Alabama—Auburn’s archrival. It makes for some good-natured bantering before team meetings, and when I’ve approached one or the other I can break the ice by cheering or commiserating about how their team fared.

If you use these tips, you can make things easier for your SMEs, whose feedback will make things easier for you when you’re creating your documentation deliverables.

Noel Atzmiller is a Technical Marketing Support Award Winner in the 2008-2009 STC Competitions.

by Noel Atzmiller

In 2007, I served as project manager for the Baker Atlas 75^th Anniversary Book. This publication documented our company history through the use of engaging text set amidst many historical images. We chose a publishing firm in California, which managed an assigned writer, a graphics department in upstate New York, and a printing company in Dallas, Texas. Although I wrote some document text, my main tasks were to collect information, provide information and direction to the writer and to the graphics department, manage the document reviews, select and provide all images (and their captions), and maintain the production schedule.

When I was asked to lead this project, I had no experience in producing a technical-historical document. I learned a great deal during the process. I gathered some key “lessons learned” into the following categories: Resolve, Research and Respond. I hope this knowledge will benefit others who are faced with producing or managing technical-historical documentation.

Resolve

Before you start the project, identify your primary decision maker. Consult with this person early in the project because several key decisions must be made. Determine the goal(s) and the main message(s) of your document. Will your work be designed to inform, motivate, commemorate or a combination of these objectives? Do you want to concentrate on details of the technological advancement or emphasize the contribution of past employees? Will your document rely on text for telling the story or will images – with captions – be your main vehicle?

Determine at what point to start your historical account, such as a specific event or an arbitrary date. Produce a document outline and obtain approval from the decision maker. Next, determine the tone of the writing, the approximate number of pages, and the basic page layout. If possible, obtain a similar document and refer to it during the discussion; your decision maker might not be able to visualize your ideas and would appreciate seeing a comparable book.

Discuss all costs up front, establish how you will contain them, and obtain a clear indication of your budget. If you plan to select a publishing firm and outside writers, obtain writing samples and sample documents. Require them to produce a preliminary production schedule and study it carefully. Finally, obtain a detailed quote.

Determine the review and approval process. Clearly delineate who will review the drafts and the pre-production copy. Decide if this process will occur in a group setting or if all reviewers will provide one person with their corrections and changes – for subsequent compilation.

Research

If you are working for a “young” company with a short history, you will probably rely greatly on present employees for information. Locate as much information as possible before the writing begins. Extract information from every type of company document you can find, including marketing collateral, advertisements, newsletters, patents, Internet searches and newspaper/magazine articles. Analyze the information and decide what will be used.

Arrange interviews with retirees and current employees. These interviews could be in person, via email, or over the telephone. Produce a set of questions prior to the interviews. If you are using an outside writer, discuss the interviews beforehand and suggest potential questions. Inform interviewees that their knowledge is valuable and express appreciation for their time. During the interviews, be prepared to ask your questions, but also have the flexibility to digress if warranted.

Obtaining images may be difficult, especially vintage photos. If you determine that you need new or additional images, consider a photo contest for current employees. If promoted correctly, a contest can be very useful source of photos. Consider copyright issues if the photos were produced by outside photographers.

Respond

Be prepared to provide material that will supplement or replace the document contents. Draft reviews can quickly reveal gaps in the historical account. Do not be surprised if some information turns out to be wrong or dated incorrectly. If you are dealing with an outside writer, expect requests for additional data.

Photo selection can also require several changes or replacements. Have a collection of alternative photos you can supply when asked. Produce photo captions as early as possible in the review procedure, and be ready to revise them.

After receiving comments and corrections from the reviewers, act promptly to incorporate them into the document. Using the review procedure you established earlier, strive to distribute all updated copies as quickly as possible.

My hope is that these tips and suggestions will be useful for anyone producing a technical-historical document. I have other guidance I could offer on this topic for those who wish it. Feel free to contact me (noel.atzmiller@bakeratlas.com).

My thanks to the following people who assisted me in this article: Pam Boschee, Elizabeth Naggar and Beth Weber. 

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