Technical writer role primarily requires you to have writing skills to document a product or a service. However, to be a successful technical writer and grow in the field, you are required to have few additional skills. Let us look at some of these skills and how you can develop to be productive and successful as a technical writer.
Almost all the authoring tools use xml-based authoring. Authoring in XML enables you to focus on writing by separating the formatting from the content. In addition, XML supports all forms of output – PDF, Web Help, HTML web page, EPUB, or other document types. Since most of the writers are expected to understand end-to-end flow of writing, you will need to learn how to work with an XML editor and how to publish XML documents to other document types.
Learn the business. An easy way to stay involved is to attend all hands. THese meetings are useful to get a 360 degree view of organizational strategy. Know how you are or can add value to the business. The all hands and town hall meetings provide insights on the direction an organization is taking to meet the company goals. Knowing these organizational goals will help you understand where you can add value – either through documentation or other additional initiatives.
Customer experience is at the top of any organization’s strategy and goal. An important aspect to consider is that customer experience is not only delivered through software products but also through documentation. Documentation is also a product or a service that you are providing along with the software product. Understanding this aspect and working towards improving customer experience through content solutions will help you stand out.
As a technical writer, you are often responsible for managing more than one project. Developing good project management skills will help you plan and keep up with your deliveries. This skill clubbed with time management will ensure that you do not block the sprint delivery or worse end up holding the release of a new product.
You need to know who you are writing for. Knowing how the customer would use the product will help you create a logical flow of documentation and write better instructions with all the necessary tips and guidance to make this a smooth journey for the customer.
To be an effective and productive technical writer, you need to cultivate additional skills that may or may not be included in the job description but are essential part of your job. These skills need to be developed to be efficient at your job as well as grow in your field.