Technical Writing Skill

Purpose

Write clear, engaging technical content that practitioners actually want to read. No corporate fluff, no vendor speak. Real insights from real experience.

Core Principles

1. Lead with Value

Start with what the reader will learn or gain. Skip the preamble.

Bad: "In today's fast-paced software development landscape, quality has become increasingly important..." Good: "Here's how we reduced bug escape rate by 60% without adding test automation."

2. Show, Don't Just Tell

Use specific examples from actual work. Code snippets, real scenarios, actual numbers.

Generic: "We improved our testing approach."
Specific: "We switched from scripted E2E tests to risk-based exploratory sessions. 
Bug detection improved from 12 to 47 issues per sprint while cutting test execution time by 40%."

3. Be Honest About Trade-offs

Nothing works everywhere. Share what you gave up to gain something else.

Example: "TDD slowed our initial feature velocity by 20%, but reduced production bugs by 75% and made refactoring fearless."

4. Structure for Scanning

• Use clear headers that tell the story
• Bold key points
• Keep paragraphs short (3-5 sentences max)
• Use code blocks for technical details
• Lists for options or steps

5. Cut Ruthlessly

Every sentence must earn its place. Kill:

• Hedge words (basically, actually, probably)
• Corporate speak (leverage, synergy, paradigm shift)
• Unnecessary qualifiers (very, really, quite)
• Repetition of the same point

Blog Post Structure

Opening (2-3 paragraphs)

• Hook: The problem or surprising insight
• Context: Why this matters
• Promise: What they'll learn

Body (3-5 sections)

• Each section: one clear idea
• Support with examples, code, data
• Explain your reasoning
• Show alternatives considered

Closing

• Key takeaway (1-2 sentences)
• Action readers can take
• Optional: What's next for you

Writing for Different Audiences

For Developers

• Lead with code or concrete problem
• Show implementation details
• Discuss trade-offs and alternatives
• Link to repos or working examples

For QA/QE

• Start with testing challenge
• Show testing strategy, not just tools
• Include risk assessment thinking
• Provide heuristics they can adapt

For Leadership

• Open with business impact
• Use metrics that matter (not vanity metrics)
• Connect technical decisions to outcomes
• Keep technical details concise

For General Tech Audience

• Use analogies from everyday life
• Define jargon when first used
• Focus on concepts over implementation
• Make it relatable

Common Pitfalls

Tutorial Hell: Don't just list steps. Explain why each step matters.

False Expertise: Only write about what you've actually done in production. If you're exploring, say so.

Tool Worship: Focus on problems and approaches, not specific tools. Tools change, principles persist.

Defensive Writing: Don't pre-apologize or over-qualify. State your experience clearly and invite discussion.

Voice and Tone

• Direct: Say what you mean
• Conversational: Write like you're explaining to a colleague over coffee
• Confident but humble: Share what worked for you, acknowledge context matters
• Occasionally irreverent: It's okay to call out BS in the industry

Editing Checklist

Before publishing:

• Does the title promise something specific?
• Does the opening hook the reader in 30 seconds?
• Are claims backed by specific examples?
• Have I cut all unnecessary words?
• Would I send this to a colleague I respect?
• Are code examples tested and correct?
• Is the takeaway crystal clear?

Example Transformations

Before: "We decided to implement a more comprehensive testing strategy that would allow us to catch bugs earlier in the development lifecycle."

After: "We moved exploratory testing into sprint planning. QE now pairs with devs during story refinement, identifying risks before code is written."

Before: "The benefits of this approach are numerous and include improved quality, faster feedback loops, and better team collaboration."

After: "Three outcomes: bugs found 2 days earlier on average, 30% fewer regression issues, and devs now ask QE for input during design."

Resources

• Plain Language: www.plainlanguage.gov
• On Writing Well by William Zinsser
• Technical Blogging by Antonio Cangiano (pragmatic approach)
• Your own blog archives - review what got engagement vs. what flopped

Using with QE Agents

Automated Documentation Generation

qe-quality-analyzer generates documentation from code:

// Agent generates documentation from source code
const docs = await agent.generateDocs({
  source: 'src/services/PaymentService.ts',
  format: 'markdown',
  includeExamples: true,
  includeApiDocs: true,
  includeTypeDefinitions: true
});

// Generates:
// - Function signatures
// - Parameter descriptions
// - Return types
// - Usage examples
// - Error handling docs

Documentation Quality Review

// Agent reviews documentation for quality
const docReview = await qe-quality-analyzer.reviewDocumentation({
  files: ['README.md', 'docs/api.md', 'docs/guides/*.md'],
  checkClarity: true,
  checkCompleteness: true,
  checkAccuracy: true,
  checkCodeExamples: true
});

// Returns:
// {
//   issues: [
//     { file: 'README.md', line: 45, issue: 'Example code is outdated' },
//     { file: 'docs/api.md', line: 12, issue: 'Missing error response docs' }
//   ],
//   score: 0.82
// }

Automated README Updates

// Agent keeps README in sync with code
const readmeUpdate = await qe-quality-analyzer.syncReadme({
  source: 'src/',
  readme: 'README.md',
  sections: {
    installation: true,
    usage: true,
    api: true,
    examples: true
  },
  preserveManual: true  // Keep manually written sections
});

Documentation Fleet

const docsFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({
  strategy: 'documentation',
  agents: [
    'qe-quality-analyzer',     // Generate and review docs
    'qe-api-contract-validator', // API documentation accuracy
    'qe-test-generator'        // Generate example code
  ],
  topology: 'sequential'
});

Related Skills

Communication:

• bug-reporting-excellence - Technical writing for bugs
• code-review-quality - Review documentation

Development:

• agentic-quality-engineering - Doc automation

Remember

You're not writing to impress people. You're writing to help them solve problems you've already solved. Be the colleague you wish you'd had when you were figuring this stuff out.