In-house
Technical writers work in a word processor, a DITA tool or an S1000D system.
Glossary
What is technical documentation?
The documents that explain how a product works, and how to install, use, maintain, repair and build it.
Across a product’s life.
Some documents stay with the manufacturer. The others travel with the product.
Technical documentation across a product’s life
-
Design and build
- Drawings and 3D models
- Bill of materials
- Standard operating procedures
- Work instructions
-
Prove conformity
- Technical file
- Risk assessment
- EU declaration of conformity
-
Install and operate
- Installation manual
- User or operator manual
- Quick start guide
- Safety instructions
-
Maintain and repair
- Maintenance manual
- Troubleshooting guide
- Illustrated parts catalog
- Service bulletins
-
Train people
- Training courses
- Job aids
- Animations and 3D views
In EU law, a narrower meaning.
The file a manufacturer keeps to prove that a product conforms. That file is for the authorities, not for users.
More detail
In EU product law, the term also has a narrower meaning: the file a manufacturer keeps to prove that a product conforms, with its design data, risk assessment and test reports. For machinery, Annex IV of the Machinery Regulation sets its content.
The main types. And who reads them.
| Document | Reader | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| User or operator manual (instructions for use) | Operators and end users | Intended use, controls, safe operation, cleaning and simple faults |
| Installation manual | Installers and integrators | Transport, lifting, mounting, connection and commissioning |
| Maintenance and repair manual | Maintenance technicians | Inspections and intervals, removal and installation, adjustments and tests |
| Work instructions | Operators and assemblers | How to do one task, step by step, at the workstation |
| Illustrated parts catalog | Technicians and spare parts buyers | Exploded views and parts lists to identify and order parts |
| Training material | Trainees and trainers | Courses, exercises and animations built on the documentation |
| Technical file | The manufacturer and the authorities | Design data, risk assessment and test reports that prove conformity |
The standards that shape it.
- IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019 Preparation of information for use (instructions for use) of products. The general international standard for instructions, from content and structure to wording and presentation.
- ISO 20607:2019 The drafting principles for the instruction handbook of machinery.
- S1000D The international specification for modular technical publications in aerospace and defense, built from XML data modules. What is S1000D?
- ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English A controlled language, with a dictionary and writing rules that make English maintenance texts unambiguous. Issue 9 was published in January 2025.
- ATA iSpec 2200 The standard airlines and aircraft manufacturers use for maintenance documentation.
- DITA An OASIS XML standard for topic-based documentation, common for software and electronics.
- Product law In the EU, the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 and other product rules set what the instructions must contain and in which language.
What a good manual page looks like.
A task header, a warning, a figure, the tools and parts, then the steps.
- 1Task header: number, title, what it applies to, tools and software
- 2Safety notice, before the first step
- 3Figure rendered from the 3D model, with item numbers
- 4Table of tools and parts, with quantities
- 5Numbered removal and installation steps, with a caution where it applies
- 6Footer with the document number, revision and date
- Written for the reader’s task, not for the structure of the product.
- One action per step, in the imperative, with a visual for every step.
- Warnings placed before the step they apply to.
- The same term for the same thing, ideally from a controlled vocabulary.
- One approved, current version, easy to find where the work is done.
- Updated with every engineering change.
In-house, as a service or with software.
As a service
TwinWorks writes installation, operation and maintenance manuals, procedures and illustrated spare parts catalogs from your engineering sources and interviews with your experts, who approve the result.
See the technical writing servicesWith software
TwinWorks is AI-assisted technical-publication software that prepares review-ready drafts from linked manuals and parsed engineering data; experts edit, review, approve, version and publish web and PDF documentation.
See technical publication softwareQuestions
What is technical documentation?
Technical documentation is the set of documents that explain how a product works and how to install, use, maintain, repair and build it: user and operator manuals, installation manuals, maintenance manuals, work instructions, parts catalogs and training material. Technical writers produce it from engineering data and expert knowledge, and for many products the law requires it, for example the EU Machinery Regulation.
What are the types of technical documentation?
The main types are user and operator manuals, installation manuals, maintenance and repair manuals, work instructions, illustrated parts catalogs, troubleshooting guides and training material, plus the internal technical file that proves a product’s conformity.
What is the difference between technical documentation and user documentation?
User documentation is the part of technical documentation written for end users, such as the user manual and the quick start guide. Technical documentation also covers documents for installers, maintenance technicians, production teams and authorities.
Which standard applies to instructions for use?
IEC/IEEE 82079-1 is the general international standard for the instructions for use of products. Sector rules add to it, such as S1000D and ATA iSpec 2200 in aerospace, and laws such as the EU Machinery Regulation set what the instructions must contain.
Who writes technical documentation?
Technical writers, working with the engineers and field experts who supply and check the facts. Many manufacturers also outsource part of the work to technical writing services.
Start from a proven structure
Free templates for user manuals, SOPs, work instructions, assembly instructions and bills of materials, ready to fill in.
Updated