How and why I got into technical publications is an interesting one. To say I accidentally discovered a passion for information would not be an understatement. It started way back in the early 1990’s when I was a young maintainer.

I was asked to perform some maintenance tasks on some vehicles to prepare them for ‘sunny’ climates. The instructions given to me as a young maintainer were poor and I found myself writing clear local instructions for others to follow.

I moved into aircraft (helicopter) engineering and part of the training was to learn how to navigate the technical publications suite supporting the platforms. After being shown the errors with the manuals, I found myself asking the question ‘ there must be a better way’.

After a career as a helicopter maintainer, I formally trained as and moved into technical authoring for a major platform. This was my introduction to S1000D and the processes of structured content production. I was hooked on SGML, XML and process!

Having been headhunted into multiple organisations to help grow their businesses – I quickly learned that my passion for the subject was far greater than many of theirs – it was time to change my tech comm path.

For me I find myself in the detail of information production, I find that focusing on the processes and understanding the rationale really helps me support my clients achieve success. Aligning client need, with specifications and technology, is where I am at my best.