TECHNICAL WRITING
Technical Writing Examples
Throughout my various careers, I have been called upon to develop, write, edit and review a myriad of documents from simple memorandum to detailed installation and instruction manuals. However, not everything I write about is technical (hardware and software). I have also written policies and procedures, business proposals, military and law enforcement training guides and many other types of documentation. I was even the copy editor, and a major contributor, to Built for Strength: A Basic Approach to Weight Training Success for Men and Women by Doug Briggs, PhD., CSCS, RSCC, *D, who I met while on a tour of active duty with the US Army in 2009. This was a major rewrite of his book originally published in 2003 and includes all new artwork and photography.
The following are examples of the documentation I developed for different employers, organizations and in my academic pursuits :
Academic
- M.S.Ed. Research Proposal - Effective End-User Software Documentation for a European Audience (Northern Illinois University, 2004)
- Ed.S. Writing Examples page
- Ed.D. Writing Examples page
Hardware
- Maintenance Manual - The A-Series Maintenance Manual is a repair manual and parts list developed before this new product's launch.
- Service Bulletin - Occasionally information regarding the care and maintenance of a product needs to be provided inside and outside a company. Service Bulletin #101 is an alert of a service issue on several products and the remedy.
- Product Installation Instructions - The PA400 & PT400 Single Battery Charger Installation Instructions is for an accessory that was not part of the original product.
- Part or Kit Installation Instructions - The S-300 & S-500 STRIPE Dual-Tension Spindle Kit Installation Instructions is the documentation in a kit to install parts to upgrade and improve existing equipment.
Software
- Installation and Administration Guide - The eNiku 4.1 Installation and System Administration Guide for Sun Solaris provides information for this version of a Professional Services Automation (PSA) software application on a specific Unix operating system.
- Installation and Administration Guide - The Novarra Engines for Wireless Data Installation and System Administration Guide provides information of the Novarra Wireless Web Enterprise Suite which transforms and adapts Internet content to be effectively delivered to mobile devices (pre-smartphone).
- Developer Guide - The Palm Web Pro 3.5 Developer Guide was written for developers of websites to be viewed using the Palm Web Pro browser on the Palm mobile devices.
- User Guide - The Niku 6 Financial Processing User's Guide contains information and instructions on the use of a financial processing software application used on a desktop computer or workstation.
- User Guide - The Engines for Wireless Data (EWD) Client Nweb 4.0 for RIM 850 / 857 / 950 / 957 User Guide contains information and instructions for installing and using a specially designed web browser for Research in Motion (RIM) mobile devices (pre-smartphone).
- Quick Reference - The oneweb quick reference provides information on the oneweb service and web browser for mid-range handheld devices (non-smartphone).
- Flow Diagram - The User Interface (UI) Flow for Java 2 Mobile Edition (J2ME) Phones provides a visual representation of the menus, menu items and their functions found in an early mobile web browser being developed for a phone's specific operating system.
- Build Document Template - I developed the ESE Package Name Build Document Template (in Microsoft Word) for use by Technical Writers assigned to the Office of Information and Technology Enterprise Systems Engineering Client Services Desktop Technologies for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (2016).
Miscellaneous
- Lesson Plan - The COM 116 Developing Web Pages Lesson Plan was developed for a class taught at the College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois.
- Syllabus - The COM 116 Developing Web Pages Syllabus was developed for a class taught at the College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois.
- Marketing - Occasionally writing and layout support of an employer's sales and marketing efforts is part of the position. The Engines for Wireless Data nweb Micro Client for HTML is such an example.
- Special Instructions - The Repacking Instructions is a document that was included with a new barcode printer to aid the purchaser should the product need to be returned or shipped elsewhere.
The following pages have information about my technical writing background and the training I received: