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How long does it take? |
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| What
does a technical author do?
The work of a technical author The most important person: the reader What should you look for in a technical author? When should you call in the technical author? Why do you need a technical author? How long does it take? What does a technical author need? What if you can't afford a technical author? |
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This is impossible
to answer without having some information about a specific documentation
requirement. The collection and the organisation of information usually take the most time.
At one extreme, collecting the information to be displayed in a table occupying one or two pages may take days. At the other extreme, a procedures manual for a well-designed application is usually easy and straightforward to write, and a technical author may manage 2,000 or 2,500 words a day on this. Remember to allow time for creating templates, formatting, creating illustrations, indexing and any other specific requirements. Also remember to allocate staff time for reviewing the document. This is often forgotten, and is a common cause of delays in creating a document. |
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This
is version 2, November 2002.
Copyright © 1999 Richard
Burnham and
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