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The process of writing technical manuals requires a writer to be concise and structured. For the sake of being consistent, customers and programs will require their manuals to meet the standards of specifications.

When creating technical manuals for the United States military, the primary specification is MIL-STD-38784. This specification details in exacting detail every aspect of a technical manual. Illustrations in the appendix of the specification show you how all the elements of a manual should be formatted. However, you should be cognizant of the fact that different customers will want their manual customized in different ways.

One of the other primary standards used for technical manuals comes from the aerospace industry. The voluminous ATA 100 specification describes the proper way to create documentation for every aspect of an aircraft. For there are chapter codes assigned to each part of the airplane ” for example 24 is Electric Power, 23 is Communications, and 49 is Airborne Auxiliary Power.

Illustrations are another key element addressed by these specifications. Military manuals are not allowed to have photographs, for example. The way items are called out, how legends are used, and other aspects of graphics are defined clearly in MIL-STD-38784.

Writing software documentation presents different challenges. The old Digital Equipment Corporation produced an excellent guide for software technical writing called the Digital Style Guide.

Another excellent book for software technical writers is the Microsoft Manual of Style. This guide does a great job of describing the elements of a software user interface. It will tell you how to refer to radio buttons, checkboxes, and spinner controls in your program.

Eventually you will be tasked with writing a technical manual with no obvious specification to guide you. Often this happens when you are working with smaller companies in a niche industry. The best practice is to find technical manuals from other companies in the industry and see what the audience is accustomed to seeing. You can always borrow heavily from the heavyweight specifications mentioned above.

The final measuring stick is your customer. Technical writing companies must be willing to adapt to the requirements laid forth by the client. In any event, most specifications are similar. Technical manuals often have many of the same elements, even if they are arranged differently.

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