Outsourcing Your Documentation

Hiring a technical writer or proofreader can save you time before a product release. Good product documentation has many benefits, the most important being that you will have fewer support calls and better sales.

Your least expensive option is to write your documents yourself and hire a proofreader. Cheap online proofreading services do not produce consistent quality. If you hire a writer with a background in hardware and software, you will spend more money and wait a little longer, but you will get better quality service and documentation.

When you hire a proofreader, be clear about the level of edit that you want. The following list shows the levels of edit that you might consider. You will generally pay more for a heavy or medium edit.

Light edit:

Correct noticeable sentence-level errors, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, some format problems.

Medium edit:

Correct minor changes in organization at paragraph and sentence level; no major restructuring:

• Format the text.
• Check figure and table callouts.
• Graphics consistency, clean up for draft review.
• Edit the text at sentence level for clarity, straightforwardness, and correctness.
• Occasional restructure of sentences if time permits.
• General check of software against instructions. This does not include a thorough test of instructions. This might include checking to ensure that command names are correct or dialog box titles are accurate.

Heavy edit:

A very thorough edit of a document by a technical expert:

• Consider audience and purpose of document.
• Compliance with standards.
• Overall organization of entire document.
• Appropriateness of graphics.
• Formatting of text, graphics, and references.
• Thoroughness and accuracy of content.
• Readability and usability of document.
• Sentence clarity, consciseness, and effectiveness.
• Grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling.

If you decide to hire a writer to create your online Help and documentation, be prepared to invest in a relationship to get a quality document. Before you hire a technical writer, consider the following points:

a. What is your budget?

The average national average for technical writing services on a contract basis is 50.00 USD per hour with the average range being 37.00 USD for an inexperienced writer up to 75.00 USD or more per hour for more experienced writers living in more expensive areas.

b. What are the writer's credentials?

If the writer is a member of the Society of Technical Communications and has that logo on their web site, that is a sign that they take their professional development seriously.

c. Do I want to hire a writer once or possibly in the future too?

Consider whether you want to hire a writer every time. Hiring a writer the first time is an investment as they will know your product better for future projects. The first time a writer works for you will always be the toughest and most time-consuming. The writer is learning your product, your communication style, product terminology, and your expectations. The next time you hire the writer, the effort is usually less time-consuming and goes more efficiently.

d. What is your work style?

Decide if you want to go with a local writer or hire over the Internet and how that fits with your working style. Many of my customers work with me strictly over email. However, this requires a lot of writing in email and might not fit your work style. Remote Assistance can work well if you both have Windows XP. The positive side to working with email is you do not have
as many meetings with the writer and as many interruptions to your time. Often, you get a more reasonable price if the writer lives in a less expensive part of the country.

e. What is your product release schedule?

Most well-written manuals can take anywhere from four to six weeks up to several months, depending on the
number of commands in the product and the complexity. If you are in a rush, a professional writer is probably going to be too expensive for what you will get back. The writer needs time to thoroughly learn your product, ask questions, and make design decisions. Good writing takes time from the writer and from you, to ensure you are getting exactly what you need.

A common approach is to ask the writer to produce a rough and imperfect draft during the Alpha test process and then update the document with input from testers during the Beta test process.

f. Do you need the writer to update existing documents?

Updating your existing documents does not necessarily take less time on
the writer's part, if they are working for you for the first time. The first time the writer updates your documents, they need time to learn and read the existing documentation in order to update it.

g. How much time do you want to allow for reviewing and editing?

The writer needs time for self-editing. Every writer must put their work down for awhile and then come back to it to ensure the documentation is right. If your product release schedule is delayed, let the writer know. Most good writers will take that time to completely double-check the documents at no cost. Remember, their reputation is on the line.

Spend time reading your documentation yourself in the draft process and give the writer time to fix what you find. No writer, or human for that matter, is going to catch every single typo or mistake. Two sets of reviewers are good. More are better. If you have beta testers, ask one of them to go over specific sections of the document and report back on it. Do not ask one tester to review a large document of more than 100 printed pages. If your document is longer than 100 pages, ask several testers to review specific portions of the document. Give the feedback to your writer.

i. What about estimates and contracts?

If you hire a writer, insist on a written proposal and, in most cases, a written contract. During the estimate process, make your expectations clear. Be willing to send a list of commands and dialog boxes, an alpha version of the software, or any other design
documents you might have to get an accurate estimate. A house builder can't
give you an estimate without blueprints of the building, and a writer cannot
give an accurate estimate without seeing some kind of design document or
list of commands and dialogs at the very least.

A good proposal has, as a minimum, the following items:

  • Price range for every component.
  • Detailed schedule, including when you should get comments back to the
    writer.
  • Detailed list of changes.
  • Terms and conditions if the software changes or there are delays.
  • Basic design approach.
  • Clear expectations for the quality of the drafts. Some writers produce a
    first draft quickly and ask many questions. Let the writer know if you do
    not want to review the document until it is complete and nearly accurate.

j. What if you are not sure about a writer?

If your project is large, ask the writer to write 1-3 small topics for your software for free as part of the proposal. If the writer will not do this, I would steer clear of that writer. If you are just not sure, hire the writer for a small project and see how it works out for both of you.

k. What about the writer blabbing to my competition?

Ask the writer to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with conditions about working for competitors, if this is an issue for you. Steer clear of writers who will not sign a mutually agreed-upon NDA. Allow time for agreeing on the
NDA. Some writers might want to have their lawyer look over the document.

l. What about tools?

If you want to personally update your documents later, I would recommend HelpandManual or some of the other tools by owners in the ASP. Ask the writer to use this tool. Most contract writers should not be locked into one tool set. If they insist on one tool and will not discuss using one of several tools, unless there are compelling reasons and the document is large and complex, I would not hire them. Just remember that no writer can own every tool out there. They are going to recommend the tools that they own.

One last note:

After you hire the writer and receive your documents, review them one more time. If you see a few errors that you had previously discussed, send the documents back to the writer and ask them to completely and thoroughly review the documents again. Most writers will do this and correct anything they might have missed.

In short, hiring a technical writer or proofreader is an investment in a relationship. If you change writers often, this can create headaches and take more of your time. The effort will be expensive and drawn out. To make sure you get the best value for your money, take time to locate and hire the right writer. Invest time and thought in the estimate and proposal process. The more time you spend up front, the better your documentation will be.