Get it in writing, keep it in writing. When you have a face-to-face meeting with a client or project group, take notes. After the meeting, summarize your notes as brief...
A bug is an undocumented feature There’s an old joke in the software industry: A bug is an undocumented feature. Some software is so beautifully designed with screens that are...
What makes an expert an expert. I have a friend who defines an expert as “someone who’s made all possible mistakes.” While this is an entertaining definition, I have expanded it: An...
Words and phrases that just don't work , and then The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications states that this is acceptable because then is not a coordinate conjunction. However, a...
Setting up for translations Localization means adaptation of the language in a document or software to a new culture or region. This could be as simple as changing the spelling from...
Engineer vs. end user and the eighty/twenty rule Engineers are often the worst writers—particularly those engineers who have worked on the product you’ve been hired to document. There’s a great...
Template talk A template is a set of predefined format instructions that can be quickly applied to a document. An authoring tool is any software that supports authoring (writing) a...
On readability The bottom line on any technical document is whether the user can read, understand and successfully apply the instructions. So how important is readability? Think of it this...
Pain-free technical manuals Last year, engadget.com published an article with a headline that included “promises ‘service manuals that don’t suck’.” It surprised me that this would be newsworthy–the “promise” from the manufacturer...