It’s not a bug—it’s an undocumented feature.—Author Unknown
Welcome to Compass Rose Technologies. We provide software development services and custom software applications for clients worldwide.
Technical Writing Services
At Compass Rose Technologies, our technical writers will help you produce documents that are simple, functional, usable, and—most importantly—readable.
What is Technical Writing?
Technical writing is a highly skilled speciality that ensures your readers will understand your message the first time. It involves the translation of technical ideas into terms a specific audience will be able to comprehend. It is no-frills writing meant to convey a particular piece of information to a particular group for a particular purpose. An audience may include end consumers or it may include engineers, scientists, managers, line workers, or top-level executives. A technical writer is sensitive to the needs of a particular audience and will write in a highly-specialized language for experts and a concise, easy-to-read style for consumer publications.
Writing, editing, and design skills form the foundation of technical writing. A technical writer will use publishing tools such as Microsoft® Word and PageMaker® and graphics tools like Photoshop®—as well as help and Web tools—to create technical documents.
For example, for every new computer program created by a software development team, accompanying materials will have to be written. These include marketing brochures, trouble-shooting manuals, and software references manuals. It is the job of a technical writer to use his or her software skills to produce these documents designed with the end user in mind. Oftentimes, a tech writer will design an entire document—including charts, graphs, and tables—and work with an artist to create appropriate illustrations.
Today’s tech writers write and design:
- Proposals
- User Guides
- Online Help Systems
- Lab Reports
- Newsletters
- White Papers
- Web Site Content
- Training materials
- Policies and Procedures
- Progress Reports
- Troubleshooting Guides … and more!
Who needs a Technical Writer?
Anyone who produces written technical material needs a technical writer. There are many benefits to having a technical writer write your documentation. A good technical writer can create a clear, understandable, and easy-to-read document that will translate into fewer support calls and better sales—and will even save you money in the long run.
Many companies have their engineers or product developers write the accompanying documentation, but there are many problems with materials written by non-writers. Here are some:
- Writing that doesn’t match the expectations of the audience
- Too much or too little detail
- Too complex or too simplistic
- Poorly organized or presented
- Poorly written
We Also Edit and Proofread Documents Written by Other Tech Writers!
We are available to update, rewrite, edit, or proofread your existing documentation and specialize in editing content outsourced to non-native English speakers. For more information, please see our Technical Editing page.
Whatever your documentation project—from training manuals to user help systems—Compass Rose Technologies can help. For more information, write sales@compassrosetech.com.
