Competencies: Documentation > Authoring
Authoring
Body of Knowledge
| Topic | Description | Relevance | Career Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
Technical Writing Fundamentals |
Audience analysis, information architecture, clear prose, terminology consistency, content types. |
Critical |
Technical Writer, Developer Advocate |
AsciiDoc |
Semantic markup, sections, blocks, includes, attributes, tables, admonitions, source blocks, xrefs. |
High |
Technical Writer, Documentation Engineer |
Markdown |
CommonMark, GFM, frontmatter, limitations vs AsciiDoc, Hugo/Jekyll/MkDocs compatibility. |
High |
Developer, Technical Writer |
reStructuredText |
Sphinx documentation, directives, roles, cross-references, API documentation (autodoc). |
Medium |
Python Developer, Technical Writer |
DITA/XML |
Topic-based authoring, specialization, maps, enterprise documentation, localization workflows. |
Low |
Technical Writer (Enterprise) |
LaTeX |
Mathematical typesetting, document classes, packages, BibTeX, academic publishing. |
Medium |
Academic, Research, Data Science |
Content Strategy |
Content modeling, taxonomy, governance, reuse strategy, localization, content lifecycle. |
High |
Content Strategist, Technical Writer |
Style Guides |
Microsoft Style Guide, Google Developer Style Guide, in-house standards, terminology management. |
High |
Technical Writer, Documentation Lead |
API Documentation |
OpenAPI/Swagger, API reference writing, code samples, interactive docs, versioning. |
High |
Technical Writer, Developer Advocate |
Tutorials and Guides |
Tutorial design, progressive disclosure, hands-on exercises, user journey mapping. |
High |
Technical Writer, Developer Advocate |
Personal Status
| Topic | Level | Evidence | Active Projects | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AsciiDoc |
Expert |
15+ months daily authoring; 3,486 files across domus ecosystem; mastered includes, conditionals, attributes, tables, admonitions, source blocks with callouts; developed 20 documentation standards |
No AsciiDoc Ruby extension authoring, no Asciidoctor.js customization |
|
Technical Writing |
Advanced |
Clear, structured prose across thousands of files; consistent voice, terminology, formatting; case studies, RCAs, project documentation |
No professional technical writing training, no user-facing product documentation |