Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much time does a typical technical writing project take and how much does it cost?
A: In my experience, there are no "typical" projects. Every project I've worked on has had its own unique characteristics. Sometimes, the project seems straightforward and simple, but turns out to be more difficult due to unavailability of subject matter experts or other conditions. Other times, the project seems at first to be very complex, but turns out to require only the creation of a simple template and process for gathering the information. While each project is different, there are some guidelines that can be followed in estimating the amount of time that a project might take. Gathering the information we need to write your documentation typically takes the most time in a technical writing project. Therefore, we allot 40-60 percent of the project time to gathering information. After we have the information we need to write the documentation, individual writers generally write about 2000 to 2500 words per day. We figure that actual writing comprises about 25 percent of the entire project time (including indexing). Developing graphics takes 2-5 percent of the project time. Rewriting and reviews take about 5 percent of the total project time.
Q: Is it really worth it to go to the expense and time to write documentation? Our programmers say that their applications are so intuitive that we don't need printed documentation.
A: Before you make up your mind not to provide your end users with documentation, perhaps you should ask them whether or not they feel they need it. Programmers work hard to make their applications as "intuitive" as possible, but the fact is that they can't anticipate all of the questions that end users might have. The job of a technical writer is to provide a bridge between the technology and the end user. We live with one foot in each world. We need to understand the technology well enough to write about it, yet understand the questions the end users might have to answer them.
Q: Is technical writing a good career to pursue?
A: According to a survey done by Money
magazine and Salary.com in 2006, technical writing is the 13th best
job to have in the U.S.
The criteria used to rate
jobs were job availability and growth outlook, average pay, stress level,
difficulty, flexibility, and creativity.
According to this report, technical writers earn an average salary in the
U.S. of $57,841. The report predicts 23.22% average annual growth for
technical writing jobs (2,619 new positions each year) with over 60,000
U.S. knowledge workers holding positions by 2014. Sounds like a good
career to me!
Q: Do people really still write paper documentation? Shouldn't all documentation just be put online and forget about the paper manuals?
A: While a lot of documentation is put online these days, paper documentation is still important. For one thing, paper documentation often is easier for users to read and use. Although I think the day is coming that all documentation will be online, for the time being, paper documentation has its place.
