Technical documentation – why it matters and how to create it
What is technical documentation and why do we need it?
For suppliers and for users of technical equipment, processes, or systems, technical documentation is critical f. But what exactly is technical documentation? When do we need it and when is it even mandatory? How can you efficiently create high-quality technical documentation as a manufacturer? This article will answer these questions.
Definition of technical documentation
Technical documentation provides information about the use of technical equipment, systems, processes, or products. This information helps users to operate, maintain, or repair a device or product.
Purpose of technical documentation
Basically, technical documentation, such as operating instructions and user manuals, is required to enable users to properly use technical systems, equipment or services. There are also other benefits and purposes of technical documentation:
Legal compliance
Manufacturers and installers of technical products are required by law to provide technical documentation for their products. These requirements are defined in several EU directives and regulations, including the following:
- Machinery Regulation EU 2023/1230
- Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU)
- General Product Safety Regulation
Safety in use
Technical documentation is required to ensure the safe use of products. Incorrect or incomplete technical documentation may result in liability for personal injury or property damage.
Product marketing
Technical documentation contains a large amount of information about a product's features and explains how to use it. If the documentation is publicly available, it can significantly improve search results, such as in Google, for specific products or features, thus supporting product marketing.
Internal knowledge transfer and product development documentation
Technical documentation collects information for internal use. Internal technical documentation is essential for archiving product-relevant data and for regulatory compliance. It may include technical drawings, specifications, or proof of quality assurance measures.
What products is technical documentation written for?
Technical documentation is written for a wide variety of products and systems that require technical information. Here are some examples:
- Electronic devices. User guides for smartphones, computers, tablets, household appliances, etc.
- Software. Software documentation provides information about the operation, setup, and integration of software products. Developer documentation is required for software development.
- Industrial machinery and equipment. Operating instructions for large machines, machine tools, production plants, etc.
- Vehicles. Documentation for cars, trucks, airplanes, ships, and other means of transport.
- Medical devices. Technical documentation for medical instruments, diagnostic devices, medical implants, etc.
- Technical standards. Documentation for technical standards, e.g. for the automotive industry.
- Energy and environmental technology. Documentation for solar systems, wind turbines, environmental monitoring systems, etc.
- Electronics and electrical engineering. Instructions for circuit diagrams, electronic components, control systems, etc.
- Consumer and household goods. Technical instructions for toys, furniture, power tools, etc.
What should be included in the technical documentation of a product?
Technical documentation includes all information that facilitates or ensures the safe use, operation, setup, and maintenance of a product:
- Product description. A detailed description of the product, including its functions, features, components, and applications.
- Installation guide. Step-by-step instructions on how to properly install, configure, and get started with the product. The product can be hardware, software, or a combination of the two.
- Operating instructions. Clear instructions on how to operate the product. Contains information on how the proper use of the product, including all safety instructions and limitations.
- Technical specifications. Details about the product's technical specifications, such as dimensions, performance, capacity, operating environment, and compatibility.
- Maintenance instructions. Information on how to properly maintain the product.
- Troubleshooting. A list of common problems, their causes and solutions, and troubleshooting and diagnostic instructions.
- Product parts list and diagrams. A detailed list of the product's components with corresponding diagrams or drawings showing their location and function.
- Warranty and service information. Information about the product's warranty and contact information for technical support or customer service.
- Safety instructions. All relevant safety information, warnings, and precautions that must be followed when using the product to prevent accidents or damage.
- Certifications and compliance. Documentation confirming that the product meets required safety standards and regulations.
- Release notes. Information about software or hardware versions and updates or changes since the last documentation.
- Reference materials. Additional reference materials, such as data sheets, technical drawings, schematics, or FAQs with more information.
What is good technical documentation?
Good technical documentation is complete and meets all applicable legal requirements. It is error-free, correct, and accurate. It uses consistent terminology.
In addition, good technical documentation is clear, easy to read and easy to understand, and contains only relevant information. Good documentation is written for the intended audience, both in terms of content and language.
Another quality feature of technical documentation is its personalized delivery. This means that the documentation is delivered to specific target groups: A service technician, for example, will receive more information on the maintenance and repair of a product than the regular customer who uses the product.
Who writes technical documentation?
Technical documentation is usually written by trained technical communicators. They prepare information about a product or service in such a way that it is easy for users to understand and use. Technical illustrators create illustrations and technical drawings for documentation. Many companies have technical communication teams that work with the design and development departments to write technical documentation.
However, many companies also rely on service providers to efficiently create professional and accurate technical documentation. At parson, we have many years of experience in creating technical documentation - from operating and user manuals to software and developer documentation.
parson is your professional service provider for technical documentation.
Get in touch!
How to write technical documentation
The following basic procedure can be used for most types of technical documentation:
- Perform a requirements and audience analysis. What are the needs and knowledge of the target audience and the objectives of the documentation? Who are the users, what information do they need, and how do they use the product and the documentation?
- Research applicable standards. What are the legal requirements for the product and documentation? What content is required for the documentation based on applicable standards and guidelines?
- Research content. Gather all relevant information about the product, including technical specifications, designs, protocols, tests, and previous documentation.
- Use understandable language. Write documentation in clear, concise, and easy-to-understand language that is appropriate for the target audience, avoiding jargon and explaining technical terms.
- Include graphics and diagrams. Illustrate complex information with diagrams, illustrations, tables, and other visual elements.
- Use consistent design and formatting. Use the same design and formatting for all documents, including fonts, colors, headings, paragraphs, and graphics.
- Perform expert reviews and incorporate feedback. Have subject matter experts, testers, and potential users review the documentation. Four-eye review within the technical communication team is also common.
- Version and update. Use version control systems to track changes and archive older versions. Update documentation regularly to keep it up to date.
- Ensure quality. Ensure that documentation is complete, accurate, and error-free with a thorough quality review.
What legal requirements apply to technical documentation?
In various industries there are norms, guidelines, and standards that play a critical role in the different phases of the product development process. For example, the automotive and mechanical engineering industries have specific requirements for technical documentation.
Technical documentation standards
The following standards apply to technical documentation:
- ISO/IEC 82079-1: Preparation of information for use (instructions for use) of products
- Machinery Directive: European directive that defines the requirements for the safety and health protection of machines placed on the European market. Its purpose is to ensure a high level of safety for machinery while facilitating the free movement of machinery within the European Economic Area. Learn more about the new Machinery Regulation.
- Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU)
- General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC). Will be replaced by the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) from 13 December 2024.
- ISO/IEC 26514: Design and development of information for users
- ISO IEC IEEE 26511: Requirements for managers of information for users of systems, software and services
- ISO IEC IEEE 26512: Requirements for acquirers and suppliers of information for users
- ISO IEC IEEE 26513: Testing and reviewing of information for users
- ISO IEC IEEE 26515: Developing information for users in an agile environment
- ISO 15289: Content of life-cycle information items (documentation)
What risks and problems can you expect when creating technical documentation?
As with any project, technical documentation can run into the same risks and problems: You may need more time than planned, use more resources than expected, or the quality or result may not meet expectations.
There are also specific risks: The documentation must be ready – and translated if necessary – in time for product delivery, and it must comply with all legal requirements.
Creating technical documentation can be a complex process that requires the collaboration of multiple groups. Product development, product design, product management, technical communication, and marketing are often all involved in a project, which can lead to different ideas and delays.
Project management by parson minimizes risks
parson's project management always aims to minimize these risks. In the kick-off meeting with all stakeholders, we define the milestones and objectives of the project. We also discuss possible risks and define countermeasures.
A documentation project at parson is always managed as a team to ensure knowledge sharing, reliability and the four-eyes principle.
How to write technical documentation. Do we need a content component management system (CCMS)?
Technical documentation can be written like any other text in a standard word processor. Some companies use Microsoft Word, for example. This can be sufficient for smaller quantities of documentation, as templates provide a degree of standardization.
Component content management systems (CCMS) for technical documentation
With the increasing variety of products and the need for faster authoring, review and translation, writing technical documentation is becoming more complex. Individual documentation for configurable products can only be created with a great deal of manual effort using a conventional word processor. Then it makes sense to implement a CCMS for technical documentation.
In a CCMS, documentation content is modularized, that means divided into individual building blocks (modules). New documentation can then be assembled from these modules. Personalized documentation is also easier to implement in a CCMS: A metadata model implemented in the CCMS enables variant management for documentation of similar product lines or the personalized delivery of documentation.
Migrating legacy documentation
Existing documentation that was previously created in a Word processor may still be needed. To avoid having to maintain the content in multiple systems, it makes sense to migrate legacy documentation. This also modularizes existing documents and integrates them into the metadata model for easy reuse.
Docs-as-code for collaborative writing of software documentation
Docs-as-code is an approach used by both technical communicators and software developers. Documentation is treated in the same way as the software’s source code. This allows documentation to be updated and released along with the software.
XML as a technical format
Many CCMS use XML as the technical format for documentation. XML is well suited for content reuse and for managing multiple documentation variants. DocBook and DITA are well-known XML formats. Learn more about DITA-XML for technical documentation.
iiRDS – the intelligent information delivery standard
iiRDS is the standard for delivering technical documentation as intelligent information. It enables content delivery platforms, self-service portals, virtual reality applications, or mobile applications to use and deliver intelligent information.
How to publish technical documentation
Typically, technical documentation is printed and delivered with the product.
Classic delivery
Traditionally, documentation is printed and shipped with the product.
Digital delivery
Today, digital technical documentation is becoming increasingly important. There are several channels for delivering digital documentation:
- Online help. Online help is often integrated in software applications but can also be provided as WebHelp over the Internet. Embedded help, for example in the cockpit of a machine or in a vehicle's infotainment system, also belongs to this category.
- Self-service applications can reduce the burden on customer support and enable customers to quickly find solutions to their problems.
- Content delivery portal. Publishing to a content delivery portal is another way to deliver technical documentation digitally and in a personalized way.
- PDF. Technical documentation is often made available for download in PDF format.
Learn more about the digitalization of technical documentation!
Delivery format for digital documentation
One digital delivery format is iiRDS, the standard for delivering technical documentation and other types of information as intelligent information. Learn more about iiRDS.
Why is metadata important in technical documentation?
Metadata plays an important role in technical documentation: we use it to find, manage, version, archive, or deliver information. For example, when using a CCMS, metadata helps to organize content in the system in a meaningful way.
Metadata for variant management
Metadata can also be used for variant management. It describes which product variants or product features a content applies to, which target groups a content is intended for, or what type of information it is. During publishing, metadata controls the output of each documentation variant.
One method for classifying modular content with metadata is the PI Classification (PI Class®) by Prof. Wolfgang Ziegler. The PI classification was also one of the foundations for the standardized metadata vocabulary of the iiRDS delivery standard.
In content delivery scenarios, the metadata is delivered with the technical documentation content, for example to self-service portals, applications, chatbots, or other consuming systems. The metadata makes the content easier to find, filter, and personalize. Structured content enriched with metadata becomes intelligent information.
To implement these use cases in an intelligent way, a sophisticated metadata model for technical documentation is required.
How does artificial intelligence affect technical documentation?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also being used in technical documentation in the following areas:
- Assigning metadata
- Creating new content (text and images)
- Reviewing and revising text
- Translation
- Content management support
- Make technical documentation available in a chatbot
AI can help technical communicators create and manage content. AI can also help users of technical documentation find the information they need more quickly. Example: chatbots in content delivery portals can answer questions so that users do not have to search for the information they need.
Tasks of AI in technical documentation
AI applications can support technical communication teams in several ways and perform a variety of tasks:
- Transform modeled knowledge into language for different audiences
- Generate text and image layouts
- Generate and review source code
- Improve readability and voice quality
- Assign metadata
- Create question trees and dialogues with users
- Translate
- Assemble relevant documentation modules for a product
However, there are many tasks left for us humans: The knowledge that an AI processes still needs to be developed. The needs of target groups and legal requirements must also be analyzed.
parson is your professional technical documentation service provider
As an experienced technical documentation service provider, parson creates professional, target-group and application-oriented documentation for products, software, and systems.
Technical documentation from experts
Our technical documentation experts write operating instructions, user manuals, software and developer documentation, service documentation, installation instructions and specifications for the proper use, installation and maintenance of a product.
Sustainable information architecture
parson creates modern information architecture for you, on the basis of which you can build your technical documentation in modules and deliver it digitally as intelligent information.
Content engineering
We help you restructure or revise existing documentation for new delivery channels or new authoring environments to make your documentation clearer, easier to understand, and more user-friendly. Learn more about content engineering by parson.
UX writing
With UX writing, we help you improve the user experience of your digital products and enable efficient localization into multiple languages.
Experience in different industries
Depending on the customer and the project, a technical documentation service provider has experience in a variety of industries, such as:
- Information technology (IT). Documentation for the IT industry includes software applications, hardware products or IT solutions, and developer documentation.
- Software documentation. Written in an understandable and targeted manner and published as online help, tutorial, user guide, or in a customer service portal. Read the reference for the project with Possehl Identification Solutions.
Learn more about our software documentation services. - Developer documentation includes architecture documentation, reference information, code documentation, tutorials, and use cases. See an example of how we created developer documentation for NDS.
Learn more about our developer documentation services. - Automotive industry. parson is a TISAX-certified and experienced service provider for the automotive industry. Read the references for the project with CARIAD.
- Mechanical engineering and manufacturing. Documentation for this industry includes various types of machines, equipment and production systems. parson creates operating instructions, user guides or service documentation for machines, equipment or systems. You can find an example of this in the reference for the project with Finetech GmbH.
parson's experienced technical communicators can quickly familiarize themselves with new industries and standards and produce high-quality documentation that meets the specific requirements and standards of the industry.
Faster time to market with professional documentation
Companies can bring their products and services to market faster with high-quality technical documentation. Clear communication, efficient training, legal compliance, a better customer experience, and fewer errors accelerate time to market and create competitive advantage.
Want to learn more about our services or have a question?
Contact us today!
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