I am seeing a trend here, where TW=BA=UX. Multitalented Technical Writers are now becoming more involved within organizations. They must know the business as well as a Business Analysts, and they are also becoming our Usability Experts. They are a versatile, adaptable, resourceful group of writers, mainly because their function is in knowledge transfer. They have become so involved in the business processes that they are now our Knowledge Managers with sub-titles of Technical Writer, Business Analyst, and Usability Expert
Let’s first define a Technical Writer (TW), a Business Analyst (BA), and a Usability Expert (UX). Checkout this comparison chart:
| Tasks required | TW | BA | UX |
| Understand the business | Writes about business models | Analyses the business model | Uses business models |
| Transfer knowledge | Ability to communicate | Ability to communicate | Ability to communicate |
| Work across various functions/disciplines | Gathers information | Gathers information | Gathers information |
| Information Architect | Designs a user interface (UI) structure | Designs a interface (UI) structure | Designs a user interface (UI) structure |
| Governance of information | Handles data or information | Handles data or information | Presentation of data or information |
The TW translates the business terms and technical information into simple easy to understand terms and guidelines so that the project can be accomplished.
The BA translates business policies, strategies, or regulations into system requirements for a project and takes a course of action to ensure the completion of the project.
The UX translates business requirements into information retrieval by ensuring the right data is captured or presented through an defined process.
All three roles have to:
- Analyze and document the current business processes to ensure that the content is understood by the project stakeholders.
- Create and present process flows, information architecture, site maps and prototypes for complex applications.
- Identify and document future business processes including opportunities for process improvements.
- Understand the features, functions, and capabilities of applications or services or products in order to achieve high performance goals.
- Gather business requirements using different requirements gathering techniques (e.g. interviews, surveys, meetings, etc.).
- Analyze and document business requirements using specific modeling or case tools.
- Partake in tracking changes to the project.
- Work with the business stakeholders, i.e., graphic designers, web developers, business analysts and software engineers.
- Translate business requirements into technical and functional specifications.
- Collaborate with the technical resources or any subject matter expert to gather specific (data or design) information.
- Conduct, coordinate, and perform user acceptance tests, user walk-through sessions, and other ways to test the designs as well as create test plans to ensure adherence to specifications.
- Act as a liaison between the IT project team and the business stakeholders.
- Translating client goals into user-centered designs.
- Write user-friendly text for on-screen instructions, headings, button labels, link text and other matter that have an effect on a user’s experience .
- Create guidelines and sharing best practices.
The role of the technical writer is ever evolving and becoming more relevant every day.
Gail Zack Anderson, President of Applause, Inc., has nearly 20 years experience in training and coaching. She
provides individual presentation coaching, and leads effective presentation workshops and effective trainer workshops.
Theresa Pojuner is a Documentation Specialist with over 20 years of writing experience and is skilled in many areas of documentation, for example, Style Guides, Training Manuals and Test Cases, wth a specialty n Technical Writing and Procedures.