Technical writing is mostly associated with user manuals, software documentation, and the like. However, technical writing is an essential part of every industry now. That’s why, in this blog post, we want to describe some unexpected documentation examples that will bust misconceptions.
Information Technology (IT) Writing
Speaking of IT, this sphere is more than just user manuals, it includes different documentation examples. Here are some of them:
- Sneak peek. It’s a technical writing example that allows users to see something before it is officially released to the public. Here is an example of a sneak peek: ClickHelp March Release Sneak Peek: Navigation, Taxonomies, mini-TOC, FTS.
- Troubleshooting documentation. It’s a technical communication document that provides a customer or user with information on how to solve and prevent those problems. It’s commonly written for electronic goods, computer hardware, and software but troubleshooting documentation can be written for any product.
- Datasheet. This technical writing example usually summarizes and describes the performance and technical characteristics of a product, machine, component, material, and so on.
Business Writing
Business writing includes not only letters and financial statements, but also technical writing samples as they help to provide clear information and improve your business. Here are some technical writing examples that are created for business goals:
- Policy and procedure manuals. A policy and procedure manual is a document that states business policies and goals and communicates appropriate standards of behavior and action for the employees. Usually, such a manual contains the company’s descriptions of the key business processes, best practices, standards, and methods of how work is performed. Policy and procedure manuals also provide instructions and methods for staff communication and their interdepartmental interactions.
- Memos are also known as memorandums. It’s a communication note that describes observations or events on a particular topic. Memos are considered as technical documentation examples since the information should be written in a confident and clear way, so all employees can get the main idea quickly.
- An employee handbook is a document given to employees by an employer. An employee handbook is an internal documentation example that may contain general information about the company, general rules and regulations, and the like.
Medical Writing
The healthcare industry traditionally employs many technical writers since medical equipment is constantly improved and updated as technology is developing. Moreover, the pharmaceutical industry requires instructions for each and every medicine available. In the article called Medical Writer: Guide Into Profession we told more about a certain scale that exists for all technical documentation created in this sphere. However, here I just want to mention some technical writing examples that are popular in this sphere. There are two main medical writing categories – Regulatory Medical Writing and Medical Communication.
Regulatory Medical Writing
Here are some examples of Regulatory Medical Writing. The documents are usually connected to drug and medical equipment development:
- Protocols
- Study reports
- Case narratives
- Safety updates
- Value dossiers
- Regulatory support for medical products
- Etc.
Medical Communication
Medical communication is mostly about raising medical awareness among educating people. It includes:
- Newsletters
- Journals
- Teaching materials
- Articles
- Sales reps materials
- Presentations
- Etc.
Aviation Technical Documentation
Aviation technical writing can be divided into two main groups:
- Operational and maintenance. Operational manuals are created for the flight crew to help them conduct the flights in a proper and safe way. The maintenance manuals are aimed to instruct the technicians on how to maintain a particular type of aircraft.
- Civil and military. Military airplanes are equipped with special equipment that is not meant for civil aviation that’s why documentation content will be different for different kinds of airplanes.
As safety is a major priority, a lot of professionals work on aviation technical documentation and technical writers among them. That’s why there are many different technical writing examples of aviation documents, here are some of them:
- Aerospace publications
- Aerocraft schematic manuals
- Aerocraft maintenance manuals
- Component maintenance manuals
- Flight operation manuals
- Crew manuals
Aviation technical documentation should be easy-to-understand both for native and non-native speakers that’s why it must be written in accordance with the special regulatory, legal and technical requirements.
Manufacturing Documentation
This documentation can be regarded as the bases of manufacturing processes since manufacturing is a long and complex process, and it involves a huge number of small operations and steps. Manufacturing documentation improves the quality of manufacturing and organizes it in the most efficient and consistent way eliminating the errors, so the complex process becomes simpler.
The main goal of manufacturing documentation is to make all the stages of production safe since it’s essential to prevent accidents within the manufacturing process.
The most common technical writing examples of manufacturing documentation are the following:
- Quality manuals describe the regulations that the company follows.
- Policies. These documents clarify how specific aspects are implemented.
- Standard operating procedures (SOPs). These are instructions for performing operational tasks.
- Specifications. This technical documentation describes requirements that a supply, material, or product must meet before being released for use or sale.
Conclusion
As you can see, technical writing is a complex phenomenon that includes not only software documentation, user manuals, and the like but also a wide range of technical documentation examples from troubleshooting docs to medical journals. If you want to learn more about other different types of technical documents, we have a free ebook for you called Types of Technical Documentation.
Good luck with your technical writing!
ClickHelp Team
Author, host and deliver documentation across platforms and devices
