Technical writing is typically used in scientific or technical fields such as engineering or IT. A technical writer specializes in developing, organizing, and editing specialized content. They may not necessarily have expert level knowledge in the subject matter, but their understanding of language and ideas and how to organize them allows them to transform content…
Every now and then, we need to revisit the basic principles of technical writing. Since we started in 1997, the basic principles of technical writing have stayed the same, even as the modes of communication change. Purpose and Audience Before beginning any new writing project, a technical writer has to analyze the purpose for the…
How Consistently Designed Procedures Can Save Lives, Time, and Money What is a Procedure? Procedures are a series of steps followed in a regular, definite order, and most people complete the steps of multiple procedures every day. Whether they’re written down or internalized, procedures are organizational tools that help people safely and accurately complete tasks.…
Disaster Management and Business Continuity– They are only as good as your last exercise and revisions The world is a crazy place these days. From the United States to Australia and all the places in between, there are gas leaks, major oil spills, severe weather, train derailments, cyber breaches, and other disasters. When was the…
Take a break There may be a very good reason that you don’t seem to be able to focus on writing: are you tired? Hungry? Is there another task you need to resolve first? Make sure that you’re allowing yourself the time and circumstances you need to facilitate your own writing process. Sometimes all you…
Editing for content is one of the first and most important steps when reviewing a document. At this stage in the editing process, bad punctuation and grammar may exist, but they are not the focal point. For writers and editors, it can be difficult to ignore punctuation and grammar, but it is more important to…
Team Leader: Now that we have an organized and intuitive folder structure, can you send me a copy of the electrical standard for digging trenches at the Texas Facility in Houston? Team Member: Sure, since I know where to look in our file sharing system, all I need to know is the document name. Team…
Team Leader: Can you send me a copy of the electrical standard for digging trenches from our file sharing system? Team Member: Sure, what’s the document number? Team Leader: I don’t know—maybe it’s ABC123? Team Member: What server is it on? Team Leader: Check the general one. 1 hour later . . . Team Member:…
How fast can you read the following words? Red Green Blue Yellow Purple Red Blue Yellow Purple That wasn’t too difficult, right? Okay, now try it again: Red Green Blue Yellow Purple Red Blue Yellow Purple This was a bit more difficult, but it wasn’t too bad. So, how about saying the color that each word is printed in instead? Blue Yellow Purple Red Green Red Blue Yellow Purple Ahh, you’re slowing down…
Communication, or lack thereof, can make or break a project yet effective communication is something many of us struggle with. We have all faced project issues. A small change causes an over expenditure, negatively impacting the project budget, schedule, or scope of work. Perhaps it’s crunch time, and a vital team member contracts the flu…