I’ve been writing documentation and technical articles for more than a decade now. One piece of feedback I consistently got from managers and peers during all these years is how fast I am when producing and releasing docs. For example, I was once asked to document a new feature from a team I wasn’t serving two weeks ahead of launch. Everything was new to me, but I had most of the docs drafted after four days. By launch, the docs had been deemed ready to go live.| passo.uno
Strategy, Michael Porter wrote, is choosing what not to do. Now, the problem with knowledge work such as the one tech writers carry out is that it’s full of things that seem to require equally important, time-consuming decisions. While engaging in lengthy disquisitions might be alluring, endlessly combing the Zen garden of theory doesn’t solve the basic problem of the docs hierarchy of needs, which is writing the damn docs and making sure they’re accurate and useful.| passo.uno
I’m Fabrizio Ferri Benedetti, a technical writer based in Barcelona, Spain.| passo.uno
A colleague recently asked how I find time to blog about technical writing after hours. The answer is surprisingly simple: I prioritize writing above other things. I could have posted that exchange on social media and called it a day, but there’s more nuance to that simple reply. Let me elaborate, it might be useful.| passo.uno