Technical writing is a form of written technical communication, which is designed to break down complex subjects so that people can understand them better. Writers who produce this type of literature can work in a variety of different sectors, from technology to finance, though they all follow the same general process. After receiving an assignment, a technical report writer will typically perform in depth research by interviewing subject matter experts (SMEs), and gaining first hand experience if that is possible. In order to do a good job, a technical report writer must achieve a high level of understanding of the subject at hand in order to produce documentation that can help other people learn the information.
The exact day to day process that a technical report writer follows can depend on the industry he works in and who his employer is. Some technical report writers work for software companies, and their jobs are essentially to produce documentation for new software products. Other technical report writers work in finance, science, and various other fields, and they are responsible for breaking down complex subjects in each of those areas. Some technical writers also work on a freelance basis, and they are often called on to write reports for vastly different industries from one job to another.
At the most basic level, technical report writers are researchers and teachers. They are not usually experts in the fields that they write about, but they need to be able to gain a certain level of expertise through research so that they can synthesize that information into reports. Most technical report writers gather information by interviewing subject matter experts, from whom they are able to gain valuable knowledge about their assignments. Some technical writers, such as those employed by software companies, can also gain direct firsthand experience in the subject matter they are writing about.
There are no set career paths or credentials that are required to become a technical report writer, though these individuals all tend to share a few basic qualities. Strong writing abilities are typically necessary, since a technical report writer must be able to convey complicated ideas in a way that is understandable to his audience. The ability to teach is also important, since technical report writers are essentially responsible for learning information and then teaching it through the documentation they create. Some people come to this profession from the academic world, while others have prior professional writing experience, and still others may have an engineering background.
