The process of writing technical manuals requires a writer to be concise and structured. For the sake of being consistent, customers and programs will require their manuals to meet the standards of specifications.
When creating technical manuals for the United States military, the primary specification is MIL-STD-38784. This specification details in exacting detail every aspect of a technical manual. Illustrations in the appendix of the specification show you how all the elements of a manual should be formatted. However, you should be cognizant of the fact that different customers will want their manual customized in different ways.
Likewise, the aerospace industry has its own specification. The ATA 100 specification is an enormous document that describes the proper way to document aircraft systems and components. Each area of the aircraft, such as electrical, communications, and auxiliary power, has its own chapter code.
Most specifications will also include a detailed explanation of how illustrations should be presented. The militarys 38784 specification details line weights, callouts, and many other aspects of graphics that need to be correct for military technical manuals.
When you write a user guide or manual for a software program, there are different things to consider. While there is no ultimate standard for software documentation, the DEC Digital Style Guide offers good suggestions.
A newer publication from Microsoft covers much of the same territory. The Microsoft Manual of Style provides a good roadmap for writing software technical manuals. It will tell you whether you “press” the return key or “hit enter”.
When you are working in certain industries or with smaller customers, there may not be any clear specification to follow. I would recommend that you examine the publications of other companies in the same line of business (suppliers and vendors) to see what their technical manuals look like. Or you can adapt one of the aforementioned specifications to the task, even though they may be overkill for smaller projects.
Ultimately, any technical manual has to meet the standards of the end user. For technical writing companies, it is important to become acquainted with the key standards in the arena in which you intend to secure business. What you will find is that most of the specifications are just variations on a theme. Many of the key components of a technical manual ” table of contents, foreword, introduction, theory of operation, etc. ” are common to most technical manuals. However the arrangement and formatting of these elements will differ depending on which specification you are following.
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