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How do they know they're correct? That's the whole point of having project team members (R&D, QA if a distinct organization, product management, and, ideally,
by DrScump 8y ago
How do they know they're correct?
That's the whole point of having project team members (R&D, QA if a distinct organization, product management, and, ideally, Support) participate in the review process.
You need someone who can write, follow (or prepare) a style guide for a consistent motif across products, and understand what the customer needs in a document. It's not their job to understand all the minutiae in a product -- that's what the broader team is for.
A great tech writer is a treasure, and that person will treasure diligent reviewers. One I worked with later became a published author of historical novels.
- abathur 8y agoI think this is the big thing the previous poster is missing. The technical writer isn't going to go out in the wilderness with a copy of the source, assume they understand it after reading it once, write the documentation, and hit publish. Broadly, good writing (even poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction) has a deceptive amount of research involved. One of the subtle skills of a good writer is knowing what they don't know, and knowing how to fill the gap. Whether they're flagging things they don't understand as they go and resolving them in bulk, or regularly checking their understanding with maintainers as they encounter problems, a good technical writer isn't going to just pretend they understand.