Hi all, In putting together my business plan, I came to the realization that documentation of processes and procedures (e.g. "user manuals" for how things should be done inside the business) seem like a good idea. Things like "how to upload to the file repository", "how to submit an expense report", "what file versioning system to adhere to", etc. These processes might be wordy, or might be technical, but all require the same things: clarity, eloquence, and conciseness. I'm wondering, in a business that has staff dedicated to this, what is the typical job-title of such an individual? Technical writer? Business manager? What sort of skills do these people typically possess? I'm not really planning on hiring such an individual once I get to the point where such documentation must be written, but I'd certainly like to know what the industry standard sought-after traits or qualifications stand out for an individual to be able to handle such tasks.

"In-house counsel"

Or your head of Human Resources. I say in-house counsel because you will also need documentation re: sexual harassment, complaint procedures, employment disability, insurance policies, etc., not to mention employment contracts and the like.

Madelelaw, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

To further clarify what I am asking, I'd like to extend the question to "anything unrelated to Human Resources". Essentially, this documentation is a Wiki of sorts; How-to manuals on everything listed above. I understand that much documentation needs to go into HR-related topics, however the system I am envisioning partially requires more technical knowledge than the typical HR advisor would possess. I'm wondering if there is a catch-all position in a typical company who would handle either the technical side, or both.

I'm leaning toward "Technical Manager" as the answer to my question, but I suppose my question is still out there.

Thanks.

Quote: Original post by DarkHorizon
In putting together my business plan, I came to the realization that documentation of processes and procedures (e.g. "user manuals" for how things should be done inside the business)

[edit] Saw your reply to Mona, so I'm changing this. Yes, a technical writer would be the person to write the procedures, but s/he'll have to have the document vetted by tech staff. You can contract a temp tech writer -- wouldn't hire a full-timer just for this task. If it'll all be on a wiki, a tech writer with web know-how would be good.