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Before defining high-quality documentation, it might be better to ask, what is
documentation? That this basic question is necessary and the numerous an-
swers it receives show the problems that exist in writing about technology. Is
“documentation” the manuals alone? The online help screens? Animated
multimedia complete with audio and motion video in an online tutorial? An
avatar-based query-and-response system? The e-mails that communicate in-
formation on a daily basis and lead to reports and manuals? The reports them-
selves, including both hard copy and electronic versions? How about papers
and articles that are published in trade magazines? Public relations and mar-
keting materials? Small group presentations? Formal presentations? Social
media communications? All of the above?
The last answer is the correct one. “Documentation,” when accurately de-
fined, embraces all acts of writing, illustrating, and speaking about high tech-
nology to all possible audiences. It is an enormous communication task,
fraught with proverbial snares and minefields. This complexity is perhaps the
reason why many people identify poor technical communication solely with
high-tech industries. Too often, they are right.
CHARACTERISTICS OF gOOD DOCUMENTATION
Now that we have determined what documentation is, we can move on to the
more important problem of identifying the characteristics of good documenta-
tion. They do exist.
CHAPTER 2
How to Define High-Quality
Documentation
