Chapter 3

Writing Technical Documents

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 Learning Objectives:

q Define the writing process for technical documents.

q Apply the tools to your own writing process.

q Identify each step of the writing process.

q Understand why the first draft is never the best draft.

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 Stages in the Writing Process

• PLANNING
• DRAFTING
• REVISING
• EDITING
• PROOF-READING

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 Big Picture: You Can Backtrack

The five steps of the writing process are nonlinear. The

process goes backward as often as it goes forward.

The first version is never the best version;

many documents “live on” with updates and
revisions.

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 Stages in the Writing Process

• PLANNING
• DRAFTING
• REVISING
• EDITING
• PROOF-READING

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 Planning

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 Planning Involves Four Steps

1. considering your writing situation

2. generating ideas about your subject
3. researching additional information
4. devising a schedule and a budget

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Consider the Audience in the Situation

• Who is your reader?

• What are your reader’s attitudes and expectations?
• Why and how will the reader use your document?

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Consider the Purpose of the Situation

• After your readers have read your document, what

do you want them to know or do?
• What beliefs or attitudes do you want them to hold?

Write the purpose statement to guide your writing.

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Consider the Delivery in the Situation

• Is the application already chosen for me?

• What will my readers expect?
• What delivery method will work best?

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 Key Factors of Influence

q existing process
q time
q budget
>>> q
q
tools
collaboration
q document testing
Your writing process q ongoing maintenance
changes based on key
factors in each document.

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 Techniques to Generate Ideas

• Asking the six journalistic questions

• Brainstorming
• Freewriting
• Talking with someone
• Clustering and branching

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 Sources of Additional Information

Most industries and career fields have professional

organizations, networks, and trade journals to access
new content on your subjects.

You may need to conduct primary research:

• Interviews
• Surveys
• Observations
• Inquiries
• Experiments

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Considerations for a Schedule and Budget

Making a schedule is often a collaborative process: you

meet with stakeholders, managers, and associates to
determine the timeline and costs.

Be aware of potential costs:

§ Travel needs
§ Special access
§ Equipment
§ Testing

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 Stages in the Writing Process

• PLANNING
• DRAFTING
• REVISING
• EDITING
• PROOF-READING

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 Big Picture: Drafting Is Ongoing

Drafting begins with your first ideas and notes about the
project.

Drafting continues as you add, eliminate, organize, and

revise content.

You may use templates and style guides to aid in

document drafting.

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 Problems with Templates

1. They do not always reflect the best design principles.

2. They bore readers.
3. They cannot help you answer the important questions
about your document.

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 Identify the
strengths and
weaknesses
of a template.

Page 54: Resume Template

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 When You Draft, Follow These
Six Suggestions:
• Get comfortable.
• Start with the easiest topics.
• Draft quickly.
• Don’t stop to get more information or to revise.
• Try invisible writing.
• Stop in the middle of a section.

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 Stages in the Writing Process

• PLANNING
• DRAFTING
• REVISING
• EDITING
• PROOF-READING

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Revising Helps You Check:

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 Questions to Ask While Drafting

1. Does the draft meet readers’ expectations?

2. Has anything been left out in turning the outline into a
draft?
3. Is the organization logical?
4. Are the arguments well developed?
5. Is the emphasis appropriate throughout the draft?
6. Is the draft honest, and does it adhere to appropriate
legal standards?
7. Does the document come across as reliable and
helpful?

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 Ask for Help!

It is completely ethical for ask people

to critique your documents. If the
assistance is substantial,
acknowledge the contribution.

1. Subject Experts
2. Actual Users

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 Revising Your Drafts

The first version is never the best version.

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 Stages in the Writing Process

• PLANNING
• DRAFTING
• REVISING
• EDITING
• PROOF-READING

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 What Is Editing?

Editing is the process of checking the draft to improve . . .

ü Grammar
ü Punctuation
ü Style
ü Usage
ü Diction (word choice)
ü Mechanics (such as use of numbers and abbreviations)

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 Questions for Editing

• Are the paragraphs well developed?

• Are all the sentences clear and correct?
• Are all the elements presented consistently?
• Is the design effective?
• Are graphics used appropriately?

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 Stages in the Writing Process

• PLANNING
• DRAFTING
• REVISING
• EDITING
• PROOF-READING

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 What Is Proofreading?

Proofreading is the process of

checking to make sure you have
typed what you meant to type.

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 Review Learning Objectives:

ü Defined the writing process for technical documents

ü Applied the tools to your own writing process
ü Identified each step of the writing process
ü Understood why the first draft is never the best draft

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