Technical Communication Process in a Company

It is not a secret that modern business processes are extremely complicated. We talk about resources, workforce, or time needed for production and the amount of information we have to find, structure, and share. Even small businesses require significant flows of everyday information, from instructions and manuals to simple communication between the working team members.

It becomes apparent that if we want to stay productive in such conditions, we need to make the process of technical communication (this is the common name for everything that was mentioned above) well-organized and as effective as possible. This article is dedicated to the point of technical communication and all its main aspects in companies of any level.

What is the Process of Technical Communication?

When we hear the word group ‘technical communication’, we at once have images of something sophisticated, something of a particular sphere, where the words are not familiar to a common person not engaged in the field. Of course, there is a part of truth in such discourse, but, as always, the whole picture is more complicated.

By technical communication, we understand any communication or providing of information connected with the working process. That can be manuals for any technology or software, internal company communication, or media releases. As we understand, this is a vital part of any teamwork and, to be sincere, this is the part that takes up most of the working process.

To maintain technical communication in a proper condition, companies must deal with technical writing so that communication is matched with particular standards. For that purpose, businesses from small to big hire professionals whose main activity is to provide the texts needed. They are called ‘technical writers’.

The Role of Technical Writers, Their Work And Processes

The main role of a technical writer is to create texts and articles that can be used as manuals, tutorials, or samples both by the users of the working team and by the product’s end-users.

The work of a technical writer demands a lot of activities, from searching for the information that should be mentioned and discovering the product that should be described to communication and consulting with other workers on the matters of products’ peculiarities.

This can be described as the following sequence: creating a manual for some digital product.

A technical writer receives information from the manager or any other person responsible for the product. The writer has to research it and create the initial documentation used by the developing team. After assurance of documentation and some necessary changes, this manual increases in detail while the development process progresses. Finally, the final manual is ready after much coordination and changes. It can be used both by the developers and QA engineers, who would have to deal with future bugs and by the users who would have to interact with the product ‘in the open field.’

Technical Writer Job Challenges

As we understood from previous chapters, technical writing is an extremely important part of product development that acquires high responsibility from the writer. It is no surprise that the writer faces many difficulties on his side. There are some of them:

• Problems with finding good and up-to-date information;
• The necessity to describe the product in simple words (especially for end-users), but, on the other hand, to give a thorough explanation;
• The problem of permanent communication with other team members and understanding the importance of the technical writer’s job.

The last point is significant, as sometimes we think that the technical writer’s work is detached from the work of others and implies only sitting, searching for information, and writing it in a structured form. That’s not true, as revealed in the article’s previous parts.

The Benefits of the Company That Has Their Own Technical Writer

So, what advantages businesses get when they hire technical writers?

First of all, obtaining the person responsible for any sort of technical documentation except some special documentation of particular departments spare other team members from this responsibility, so they become more dedicated to the product itself. Moreover, if we have a person who is taught to write this documentation, we may be confident that the quality will be high.

And, of course, the attendance of the technical writer can better the process of internal communication, as they provide examples of some corporate ethics between the staff members.

Conclusion

As everybody could understand from this article, technical communication is critical. It should not be neglected by businesses of any kind, as the proper description of the product or service from all sides is vital for its success.

Even if we put aside the financial part, the communication within the team is vital either, and some standards and rules are a perfect tool for its effectiveness.

Stay well!

Amrit.

“Follow the river and you will get to the sea.”