How to set up your tech writer up for success
Congratulations! You hired your first technical writer. At some point you must have realized that you needed one, lest your product becomes a user nightmare. Or perhaps you thought that hiring a writer would free your developers from writing documentation and feel more “agile”. Whatever your motivation, you had the courage to hire a documentarian, and for that we applaud you. Now, how can you make sure your tech writer will thrive?
It might not seem obvious to you, but technical writers, like other professionals, are not fire-and-forget missiles, homing directly at value a second after you launch them. Even though most of them are used to working with folks who don’t really understand their magic, tech writers require some care and resources in order to give their very best. Most of the time, you’ll already have everything that’s needed.
What’s at stake is the success of your product. As I said in Signs that you need a technical writer, If you’re shipping a product and that product is more difficult to use than a kazoo, you need the product to communicate to users through UX writing, docs, or both. That’s what the technical writer in your team can accomplish, or at least spearhead. It’s not about unique talent: it’s about watering the plant of specialization.
