Learn technical writing

Start here if you’re new to technical writing, or want a refresher on the principles behind everything else in this manual: where documentation maturity comes from, why simplicity is a discipline rather than an accident, and how the format you choose shapes every decision downstream.

The three levels of technical documentationLocate where your organization's documentation practice sits today — from ad-hoc drafting to structured DITA.

The KISS principleWhy the simplest solution that solves the problem beats the cleverest one, and how that applies to documentation.

Structured and unstructured formatsThe foundational format choice that determines everything downstream: content reuse, translation cost, and tooling.

Business case & strategy overviewMaturity tiers, tooling costs, and documentation ROI — the argument for investing in a better process.

Once these foundations click, move on to building a documentation process or jump straight to the practical toolkit for templates and checklists.