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The technical writing process consists of four phases:

1. planning
2. writing
3. delivery
4. archiving

The Planning Phase

1.      gather existing information --- any or all of:

·        requirement specifications

·        functional descriptions

·        use cases

·        standards

·        contracts

·        etc.

2.      determine which documents and other information you will create:

·        product descriptions

·        installation guides

·        configuration guides

·        system administration guides

·        alarm-clearing procedures

·        error message

·        etc.

3.      if the documentation is to include tooltips, error messages, notifications, and dialog boxes, develop a plan to ensure that the wording of these is consistent, clear, and grammatical. Contact system architect to work out the details of your plan.

4.      determine how the documentation will be delivered to the customer

5.      when creating online help, it is essential to plan how users will navigate through the help topics before you start writing.

6.      determine which desktop publishing software and help-authoring too you will use. Order as required.

7.      work out the file structure and file-naming conventions for the documentation and online help.

8.      for online help, work out the relationships among the different files. Will some help files be used for more than one GUI screen?

9.      create your templates.

The Writing Phase

1.      write your documents and make a list of glossary terms as you write

2.      during slow periods, research glossary terms using more than one source.

3.      during slow periods, research the correct wording for copyright notices of any third-party and proprietary products that you mention in your documentation.

4.      when the documentation is complete, do a spell-check and review your work from cover to cover.

5.      send the documentation to the subject-matter expert (SME) for a technical accuracy check.

6.      make the required corrections.

7.      send the corrections back to the SME for verification.

The Delivery Phase

for documentation that is integrated with the application, talk to the system architect to work out the final details of integrating the documentation.

The Archiving Phase

1.      name your documentation folder on the network with the product name and version number. If you will be updating the documentation in future versions, create a new folder with the new version name and copy all the documents there.

2.      if your company has a document archiving system, use it.

you are done!