stc-jamesriver.org - Information Design and Management

This workshop shared insights into the very broad world of military technical documentation. Generally speaking, technical manuals are either Government- or contractor-furnished. This presentation specifically looked at the development of contractor-furnished Navy technical manuals. Presentation topics included:

Technical documentation MILSPECs
Technical Manual Contract Requirements (TMCRs)
Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) manuals (and how they compare/contrast with “MILSPEC” manuals)
The Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical Equipment/Systems Technical Manual Production and Style Guide (NAVSEA S0300-AX-GYD-010)
Qualifications Defense-related employers look for in technical communicators
Public Internet resources for further information

Several unclassified contractor-prepared HM&E technical manuals, TMCRs, and related handouts were available for participants.

About the Speaker

Zachary Bridges is a Technical Writer in the Logistics Engineering and Services Group of AMSEC LLC. An AMSEC employee since October 1999, his duties include the development of new, changed, and revised CVN 68 Class Aircraft Carrier component and system technical and maintenance manuals using associated engineering source data and logistics research tools in accordance with established ISO 9001:2000 procedures.

Mr. Bridges held the responsibility of “Ship Lead” (Production Lead) for the USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) program from September 2000 to March 2003. During this period he was responsible for providing daily leadership and production support to over 30 technical writers and illustrators, plus tracking and analysis, for nearly 800 technical documentation products under contract.