Technical writing, a form of technical communication, is a style of formal writing used in the computer hardware and software busines, as well as others. Technical writers explain technology and related ideas to technical and nontechnical audiences. This could mean, for example, telling a programmer how to use a software library or telling a system user how to use a new system to perform their job.

Technical writers gather information from existing documentation and from subject matter experts. A subject matter expert (SME) is any expert on the topic that the writer is working on. Technical writers are often not SMEs themselves (unless they are writing about creating good technical documentation). Workers at many levels, and in many different fields, have a role in producing technical communications. A good technical writer needs strong language and teaching skills and must understand the many conventions of modern technical communications.


A good technical writer clarifies technical jargon; that is, they present useful information that is clear and easy to understand for the intended audience. Poor technical writing may increase confusion by creating unnecessary technical jargon, or failing to explain unavoidable technical terms that reader would not be expected to be familiar with.

The Technical Writer must consider the following things:

• Audience: Is the audience composed of people from a technical department or from a non-technical one?
• Source: Is there existing documentation—a rough draft? Who are the subject matter experts (SME)?
• Deliverable: Is the deliverable simple text for inclusion in a book, or formatted to final form?
• Target: Is the target a paper, a manual, a web page, or something else?

Technical writing is a communication to convey a particular piece of information to a particular audience for a particular purpose. It is often exposition about hardware or software related subjects and technical concepts associated with hardware or software.

Technical writing translates complex technical concepts and instructions into simpler language in order to enable users to perform a specific task in a specific way. To present appropriate information, writers must understand the audience and their goals. Audience analysis is a key feature of all technical writing.