"The problem with allowing the engineers who create a program to also write its Help and Tutorials is that you get people who cannot write, writing Help for people who do not need help." (Mark Rector)
I have a client for whom I'm currently performing a service only marginally related to my core skills as a technical writer (alright, you made me say it - it's marketing writing) and I was shocked to learn that all the user documentation for their products is written by the developers.
Leaving aside the question of whether or not engineers have the necessary language skills to write well (some must), I think the second half of the quote above is even more relevant - developers already know too much about the product to be able to successfully put themselves in the place of a new user.
I believe that technical writing is about a lot more than just stringing a few words together on the page. Deciding what users need to know is even more important and, once you get to the writing stage, a good part of your work is already done.
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Yes, however, you're preaching to the choir! Most small, niche software shops have trouble understanding this. You can spend as much time persuading a PM or Director of the value of good documentation (can reduce support tickets, improve overall quality of product) as you do writing the guide.
Posted by: Derek T | June 9, 2006 5:35 AM | Permalink to Comment