One of the things I’ve noticed while doing the Technical Writers Salary survey is the tendency for US IT companies to start outsourcing their technical documentation.
Most surprising is that the outsourcing is not going to India, which is what I’d expected but rather to Poland and other eastern-European countries, such as Latvia and Estonia.
Most of the writers are English graduates and judging the samples that they have produced, can produce quite good documentation. Some of the wording and phrasing is a little awkward— but on price they can’t be beat.
The trend towards outsourcing technical documentation seems to be a fact of life.
Pay Per Month
Many Indian companies now offer skilled writers who can work for you on smaller projects, even on a monthly basis. No more getting locked into long contracts.
Here’s how it works.
1. You provide an estimate of the number of days/months it will take to complete the project.
2. Send the Technical Writing company the project brief.
3. They check your estimate. If they agree, they set up a “Pay per month” plan for you.
So, if your project requires two months part time work (4 hours a day, 5 days a week), you pay a fixed amount per month for two months.
The company, for example, ChilliBreeze, will send you reports plus the research/writing/editing/graphics work that has been done that week.
Link: http://www.chillibreeze.com/Paypermonth.asp
Try before you buy
Other offshore Technical Writing companies let you try before you buy.
YoungCopy suggest that you start with a small technical writing project such as a how-to guide or installation document and learn how effective it can be for your business.
A typical project takes about 4-6 weeks to complete, giving both parties a chance to see if the outsourcing relationship will work in the long run.
Link: http://www.youngcopy.com/resource-center/10-reasons-to-outsource-technical-writing-services/
Case For and Against Outsourcing
Cherryleaf give the best case for and against out-sourcing.
Their argument is that, “Outsourcing can mean using a technical writing company, such as Cherryleaf, to write an online Help file for a specific project. It can also mean establishing a more longer term relationship – acting as the technical publications department, being available on a “call off” basis or acting a part-time (say three days per week) resource.”
They make the point that outsourcing offers the added benefits of continuity of resource, project management, predefined deliverables, and the collective knowledge and of expertise that organizations can offer over an individual.
It’s worth considering when work is unevenly spread throughout the year, when it comes in peaks and troughs, or if there isn’t enough work to require a full time resource.
When not to outsource
The counter-argument is that outsourcing does not work well when deliverables cannot be defined, and the information needed to do the work is not available.
Link: http://www.cherryleaf.com/2008/11/in-downturn-is-it-better-to-use.html
I’d be interested to hear from anyone who is either working with offshore companies or has identified ways to protect/project their career.
FWIW – I think Programmers have more to fear that Tech Writers when it comes to outsourcing as programming requires less verbal interaction and, once the specs are agreed, the developers can go about their work and start coding.
What I’d like to know is how it’s affected your career prospects and how you can take ADVANTAGE of this situation.
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