Technical Writing for Business People

2 SEVEN STEPS TO HEAVEN: THE TECHNICAL WRITING CYCLE

There may have been three steps to heaven for Eddie Cochran,⁶ but for a technical writer there are seven. The process of creating and publishing technical writing can be broken down into these seven parts:

1. identify the specification, audience and scope;

2. planning;

3. research and writing;

4. testing, reviewing and revision;

5. delivery;

6. evaluation and feedback;

7. revision, archiving or destruction.

Let’s explore each section in turn. We’ll also look at a few general considerations for a technical writing project too.

1. SPECIFICATION, AUDIENCE AND SCOPE

The first part of any technical writing project is to identify the who, the what and the why. Who are you writing for? What information ...