I have noticed a few things about technical writing in Saskatoon, and Saskatchewan in general.
First, there aren’t very many of us in Saskatoon…especially not freelancers or tech writing companies…compared with Calgary, for example.
Second, most people still think a technical writer writes about “technical stuff”–electronics, software, IT, mechanical, etc., which is only partly true, some of the time.
Third, most people here don’t think of writing as something you would contract out. Usually they either have the “anyone can write” perspective, or they look at it as a necessary evil and do as little of it as possible.
I’m trying to change that, to show businesses that there is value and ROI in getting a professional to write their user manuals, policies, procedures, case studies, white papers, etc.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.
Technical Writing/Editing: Pain or Pleasure
November 12th, 2009 
Ron Johnson Presenting at the SWWA Conference
November 2nd, 2009 Ron Johnson Yes, I know it’s short notice, but I hope we will get a chance to meet you at the Saskatchewan Water and Wastewater Association conference on November 3 to 6 in Saskatoon. We don’t have a trade show booth this time around but we will certainly be there, mingling and trying to learn more about the industry.
If you are already signed up for the conference you may know that we will be presenting twice. On Wednesday morning at 10:40 am we’ll be presenting “Developing Plant Documentation”, a 45 minute technical session that will provide an overview of the considerations and processes involved in creating operations manuals, SOPs and other documents. We’ll approach the subject from the perspective of lessons we have learned in real life project situations.
On Thursday, Nov 5 at 1:00 pm we will be presenting Introduction to Building Procedures with the SOP Toolkit. This 3 hour workshop picks up from the technical session and explores how to use our SOP Toolkit to get you started in creating standard operating procedures.
Hope to see you there!
Sphere: Related ContentNews: Now located at Innovation Place, Saskatoon
November 2nd, 2009 Ron Johnson We’re pleased to announce that we are now settled into our new office at Innovation Place (102F 116 Research Drive, Saskatoon).
An interior view of the Concourse Building, near RCJC offices
Innovation Place was recently named the 2009 Outstanding Research Park by the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) in recognition of their role in supporting the growth of science and technology related economic development.
Our new location will support several new initiatives that we are currently implementing. As we incorporate new clients and additional staff, and embark on our new marketing plan, we expect the move to enhance the services we can offer.
Sphere: Related ContentNeed a writer? Or do you just need some help?
June 18th, 2009 Ron Johnson 
Someone said “There’s no such thing as writing…just re-writing” and as time goes on I’m realizing this is true in several ways. I was reminded of this while talking to people at a trade show I recently attended. I engaged several people from various booths in conversation and mentioned that I “write” manuals, procedures, training materials, and other documents. As usual, the response was, “We write our own manuals.”
What can I say to that? You shouldn’t! You should let me do it! I’m a professional! I also can’t really tell them their writing isn’t good enough. At that point for all I know they may be very effective communicators. Obviously these wouldn’t be the most effective marketing techniques. 
But experience has shown me that most small to medium sized companies who do their own technical writing are not entirely happy with their results. Usually they know their documentation needs improvement but several factors are holding them back from getting what they need. First, they don’t know where to find someone who they are confident can help. Second, they are not sure whether the price they will pay will be worth the benefits of better documentation.
So I have realized that often what the client needs is not a technical writer, but a technical re-writer. Other ways to describe it is editor or documentation consultant–someone who can meet them at the point where they need help, and can provide cost-effective recommendations and assistance. The client knows the content they want in the documents, and they often have good ideas about how it can be best organized for their customers. I know how to organize, present and clarify information so it has the effect the client wants.
As for the cost of my services? Usually, the savings realized from reduced product support (telephone, in-house and field service) and decreased product returns pays for my fees in the first few months after completion of the document upgrades.
Sphere: Related Content“Do I really need a tech writer?”
June 16th, 2009 Ron Johnson Well…no, actually. But do you really want to do this nasty job yourself?
I’ve lost count of the number of people to whom I have offered my technical writing services, who look at me like I must be crazy. After all, they have smart people working for them…people who understand the content that needs to be written, who have great computer skills, who know how to write a sentence. Why would they pay someone from the outside to do what they could do themselves?
The only honest response I have come up with is: “Great! Enjoy the experience.” The truth is, these organizations probably do have people with skills, and with some effort they could probably turn out a manual, procedure, or other document. However, further down the road they may wish they had brought in an expert.
Writing a manual or procedure is not simply the process of putting a series of steps into words. And a tech writer is not simply a person who writes sentences. Typically, a capable and experienced “technical communicator” (the correct description of the role) performs most of the following tasks in the process of producing documentation: assesses the clients documentation needs, analyzes the content/tasks/etc to be documented, determines the scope of the project (especially if multiple documents are involved), gathers resources, identifies subject matter experts (SME), designs the document format and style, does research, writes the content, works with SMEs to verify and edit one or more drafts, publishes a final draft, maintains records, files, style guides, document plans, and many more aspects of the project. Throughout this process the technical communicator often assumes the role of project manager/leader and, if the project is large, may manage several personnel with specialized skills (illustrators, photographers, IT support, etc). If the project is smaller, most of these tasks still have to be handled at some level, and the person handling them needs to know how not to get bogged down in them.
So if you have someone who can handle these tasks, and you are willing to free the person up to become your in-house technical writer…good for you. But don’t expect that person to manage a documentation project AND do the job they were doing before. Something will break, and chances are you won’t end up with documentation at the level of quality that you had hoped for.
Sphere: Related Content