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RE: The role of tech writers when working with business/systems analysts
Subject:RE: The role of tech writers when working with business/systems analysts From:"Beth Agnew" <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 22 Apr 2004 11:16:20 -0700
I've always seen the techwriter as the bridge between the systems analyst
and the business analyst. It's true that we all have some common skills, but
our focus is often different. The systems analyst is an expert on the
system, and should be able to figure out how the system must be designed to
serve the client's needs. The business analyst is an expert on the client's
business, and from that perspective looks at the system to ensure it can be
used to accomplish the client's business tasks. The techwriter is an expert
on the user, and ensures the user is able to understand how to use the
system to accomplish those business tasks. We work closely with both roles
to get our job done.
The systems analyst and business analyst are both our best friends and our
most useful resource within a company. Without them, we have to take on
aspects of those roles to be able to create useful documentation.
--Beth
Beth Agnew
Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto, ON 416-491-5050 x3133 http://www.agnewcom.com
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-118812 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-118812 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of
Laura_D_Mcdonald -at- Keane -dot- Com
Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 8:29 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: The role of tech writers when working with business/systems
analysts
What is the relationship of tech writers to business or systems analysts in
your organization? I'm working with a client that uses all three, and it
seems like technical writers could do many of the same tasks that analysts
do. Recently, someone in the organization who was searching for an analyst
said that there was no such thing as an analyst anymore; that technical
writers with specialized skills fulfilled these roles now. I found that
interesting because many of the systems analysts that I have known
preferred to do programming, not documentation.
Thanks!
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