The technical writer as software process catalyst

The emergence of a new economy, fueled by business-to-business e-commerce and moving toward things like component-based development, and soon to be dominated by browser-based applications, is creating a shift in focus away from user documentation and towards what we might refer to as systems documentation. This term encompasses any kind of documentation that describes the technical aspects of a software system for people like systems analysts, modelers and software engineers, rather than users. Technical writers need certain specialized skills, such as the ability to analyze Java code, and knowledge involving subjects like component-based development to thrive in this new world. The author considers how tech writers should be able to combine systems documentation skills with their existing communication skills in order to serve as catalysts within software development projects, in contrast to their traditionally less active and visible roles.