This year I’ve helped two companies setup their Technical Documentation Departments. To be honest, they call them Technical Communications Department, but that’s another matter. One of the problems in getting the dept setup was communicating the value that the tech docs dept could offer other business units and also how it would save them money. In the end we got there but there was a lot of negotiating and arm-twisting along the way.
Setting up a Technical Writing Department
1. Get Management Buy-in
Before you start, Senior Management has to believe that the new department is critical to the company’s future business success.
- If you have to convince your Managing Director that you need to hire professional technical writers and they can’t see the value in providing this service, then you may need to re-consider if it’s worth the effort. Let’s assume they do. Make this your first priority!
- Canvas other departments to see how they would *benefit* if there was a reliable Technical Documentation Department.
- Start to ‘plant seeds’ in the other Line Manager’s minds.
2. Set Goals and Expectations
Identify where you want the Technical Documentation Department to go both short and long-term. Paint a picture for the new recruits and build enthusiasm.
3. Hire a Guru or else…
When starting a new group, get an experienced writer up-front so that your Dept can be productive from day one.
- You can then hire newbie writers, such as graduates, and include software training and Business English skills as part of their initiation.
- Try to hire writers who are familiar with the tools and productive.
- If you need to prioritize, hire someone who can get things done with little or no learning curve and can work without too much direction.
4. Recruit the best people
First decide what skills you need in people, advertise, and set about interviewing Hire a Senior Tech Technical Writer first, so you can balance graduates with experience.
- Hire experience writers first or you will spend all your time training and nothing will get out the door.
- A senior writer can take up the slack while you train the new recruits. As part of the training plan, consider skill sets first and which are easiest to train and which are bought with experience.
- Hire people you get along with. In a new department, you need absolute control and TOTAL support from your new writers.
5. Technical Writing Software & Setup
Determine what you need, and then buy it.
- Concentrate on what is absolutely necessary, such as specific fonts, printers, and technical communications tools.
- Try to get laptops and large external monitors. Make the argument that writers must be mobile as they can take laptops to engineering cubes, take them home, etc.
- Get large monitors so the writers don’t strain their eyes.
6. Budgeting
Make sure you have enough finances to cover training, recruitment, setup and whatever else. Once you get handed a budget the first time, your plan may help persuade Senior Management that you need more money for starting up the department. In time you will have the experience to work with accountants that control these budgets.
That’s how it worked for me. What did I miss?
About the Author: Ivan Walsh helps companies develop web-based content management systems. Remember to get his free newsletter above!.
Related posts:
- Technical Writing News – FrameMaker Shortcuts, Life-Saving Checklists & Twitter for Professional Development Why are most technical writing blog written by men?...
- My Top Ten Favorite Technical Writing Tools I'll be honest. I love Microsoft Word! Adobe FrameMaker has...
- How to Study Technical Writing Online & Get Certified The University of Limerick, Ireland offers an excellent online course...
- Gina Blednyh Interview: How Social Media Will Make You A Better Technical Writer Gina Blednyh launched the Technical Communication 2.0 group in Facebook...
- How to Get A Technical Writing Degree Online Earlier this year we asked if Online Degrees in Technical...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
I liked what you said and I would also like to add that before going to work for a company it is important to see how much the management is invested in providing quality documentation otherwise it's not worth your time going to work for them.
It’s so true. If you have to persuade people why the need specialists for specialist roles, then you're starting from a very weak position.
When I first entered this business, I did so much cold calling trying to drum up business and show people why they needed high quality documents. Most didn’t get it.
But, when I turned the conversation and showed how it would reduce costs, e.g. lower # of calls to customer support and/or reduce refund requests, then they wanted to meet.
Hi Ivan,
This is great. Thank you! The wisdom of encouraging people to see how their departments could benefit from a technical documentation department is vital. The truth is, our work helps many groups in organizations, but people can easily forget this. As technical writers, we must also be advocates and PR people. Passivity isn't really a good option.
That’s it. At some point, you have to ‘sell’ what you're delivering. Maybe ‘sell’ is not the right word, but if you don’t show the value add, others may not see it and will take your efforts for granted.
I took over the newsletter at a company and would ever so (quietly) remind others of the good work we were
doing.
These things all add up at the end of year review.
Weekly links roundup by Communications from DMN // May 21, 2010 at 3:46 am
[...] Ivan Walsh explains how to set up a technical writing department [...]
Can She Lead? Are Women Better Technical Writing Managers Than Men? | I Heart Technical Writing, Tips, Tools and Templates for Technical Writers // Jun 3, 2010 at 10:02 pm
[...] 3) will men support women bosses or do their best to defeat them? One argument is that many men don’t feel comfortable playing second fiddle to a women boss. Yes, I know there are exceptions but… So, while men tend to become CEOs etc due to networks/old [...]
Can She Lead? Are Women Better Managers Than Men? | Internet Business Plan - Learn How To Plan Anything Online // Jun 9, 2010 at 9:59 pm
[...] 3) will men support women bosses or do their best to defeat them? One argument is that many men don’t feel comfortable playing second fiddle to a women boss. Yes, I know there are exceptions but… So, while men tend to become CEOs etc due to networks/old [...]
5 Reasons Women Technical Writers Are Better Than The Boys | I Heart Technical Writing, Tips, Tools and Templates for Technical Writers // Jun 16, 2010 at 1:18 am
[...] I’ve been in this game 18 years and, with only one exception, the best technical writers I worked with have been women. I guess I’m referring to team leads here. One of the small things I’ve also noticed is that technical writing depts tended to be a close group. [...]
Stop Your Technical Documents From Crashing - Part 1 | I Heart Technical Writing, Tips, Tools and Templates for Technical Writers // Jun 30, 2010 at 9:44 pm
[...] become huge and start crashing, here’s a few ways to fix it. I’ve creating some very long technical documents in Microsoft Word and learnt a few ways to control these [...]