What Is Technical Documentation?

Almost all new products on the market today come with documentation, yet few people know what technical documentation actually is.

The term "technical documentation" refers to the process of developing product-related information for multiple purposes with different target users and readers in mind. Technical documentation gives information about technical products such as software programs, electronic equipment, and machinery, in electronic or print media. The aim of technical documentation is to describe a product clearly and, at the same time, to present the information in a way that suits user needs. Technical documentation familiarizes users with a product and helps them to use it successfully. Technical documentation is usually optimized for a known user group. Therefore, technical documentation accompanies a product throughout its lifecycle: from the product design to the product development through to product disposal.

A number of different types of documentation are now developed as standard practice:

• Operating manuals
• User guides
• User instructions
• Handbooks
• Administration manuals
• Installation guides and manuals
• Online user Help
• Product specifications

Who Uses Technical Documentation?

Technical documentation is used mainly by product users; however, it is also needed by the manufacturers themselves in all company areas and departments that deal with the product users. As a result, technical documentation supports information exchange on many interfaces throughout the entire product lifecycle. Many experts need technical documentation, including software developers, product managers, sales representatives, vendors, customer technical service staff, system integrators, administrators, and engineers.

Technical documentation is needed:

• Within different company departments
• At the interfaces between a company’s departments
• At the interfaces between a company and its customers
• By customers

Technical Documentation Promotes Customer Satisfaction

Professionally developed technical documentation adds value to a product and increases customer satisfaction because the user automatically associates the quality of the documentation with the quality of the product. For this reason, technical documentation is an integral part of a company’s corporate identity and all the more reason to engage the services of professional documentation experts.

What Makes Good Technical Documentation?

Good technical documentation makes it easier for users to find information about a product and makes the product easier to use. Good technical documentation is also characterized by user-oriented content and design: that is, correct content and language (consistent terminology, a controlled language), a clear writing style, a logical structure, an attractive layout, as well as compliance with the relevant standards, guidelines, and legal requirements. One of the easiest ways to check the quality of technical documentation is by performing usability tests.

What Are the Advantages of Good Technical Documentation?

Good, up-to-date technical documentation reduces training requirements, supports customer service, and optimizes the management of internal information within a company. Furthermore, it guarantees the manufacturer legal protection. A professional operating manual gives the manufacturer effective protection against liability claims (product liability, equipment safety).

The advantages at a glance:

• Less time needed for on-the-job and regular training
• Greater customer satisfaction
• Fewer customer complaints
• Standardized maintenance and support
• Better marketing image
• Effective protection against liability claims

Technical Documentation in the Product Lifecycle

The following examples show how technical documentation for a product is present in various company departments:

• During product development, technical and detailed designs as well as specifications are the basis for the development and ongoing development of products and for fault correction of the product.
• For production, quality and production guidelines are defined, and planning takes place aligned with product development.
• Sales and marketing use technical documentation as the basis for creating corporate brochures and drafting contracts.
• Customer services need maintenance manuals, for example, to be able to respond to customer inquiries faster and more effectively.
• Company management can use technical documentation to protect itself against complaints, liability disputes, or damage claims with technical documentation, because it complies with legal guidelines and clearly defines customer responsibility, quality standards, and product usage.
• Technical documentation supports the development of web-based training (WBT) modules aimed at specific target groups.
• Customers expect to be informed about the product by means of operating manuals, safety guidelines, and training material.

During a product’s lifecycle, different business areas often require the same information, albeit for different purposes. When technical documentation becomes a company’s central information gateway, information can be made available for everyone, creating a beneficial synergy.

Who Writes Technical Documentation?

Technical documentation is an established academic discipline with its own course of studies and has evolved into a specialized service. Technical writers from various backgrounds and industries combine interdisciplinary expertise to make technical information accessible and user-friendly. They understand how to present textual and visual information to a target group, in a way appropriate for that particular medium by using specialized methods, linguistic and technical expertise, and highly developed didactic skills. Technical writers have knowledge in various fields, such as the natural sciences, the humanities, information technology, or engineering. They usually become qualified through an internship or a university or college qualification, although some technical writers come from completely unrelated fields.

Where Else Can Technical Documentation Be Applied?

The knowledge and skills gained through technical documentation can be applied in other areas of a company, for example:

Complex documents require special structuring techniques that are mastered by professional authors. Structuring skills can be beneficial in other areas: from creating a large knowledge base through to analyzing, assessing, and optimizing business processes.

In the meantime, technical documentation increasingly requires that technical writers are versed in electronic data processing and publishing. Technical writers create user interfaces, program scripts and databases, and write complex programs. This means that the line between development and technical writing is blurred, but both areas can benefit from working together.

Comet Creates Technical Documentation ...
... and How Can This Benefit You?

Our Areas of Expertise:
Rely on us as a strong partner for your technical documentation and benefit from our extensive knowledge and expertise. If required, we can even set up and manage entire documentation projects. We offer solutions that meet all requirements and provide professional and cost-conscious support in all areas of technical documentation.

Our Qualifications:
Our documentation meets the highest quality of standards. We are several times winner of the prize for "Excellence in Technical Communication" awarded by the Society for Technical Communication. We want you to benefit from our more than 20 years of experience. We know the market and have many long-standing customer relationships.

Your Benefits:
While you focus on developing your product, we get to work on the accompanying documentation. This guarantees that you make significant savings in time and costs and that you that you get a head start. Comet's innovative concepts, methods, and software solutions have set standards in the field of documentation and will ensure a return on your investment.