How do you define the project scope for technical writing?

Yes, that is correct! Defining the project scope is crucial in technical writing, and identifying the problem and purpose of the project is the first step in doing so. Stakeholder analysis helps to identify all the individuals or groups who have a vested interest in the project, which includes both internal and external stakeholders. User personas, on the other hand, are fictional characters that represent the characteristics, goals, and behaviors of the target audience. These personas can help you better understand the needs and challenges of your target audience, which will ultimately help you create more effective technical writing.

In my experience the scope definition is a critical piece of the project, that if not done correctly opens you up for scope creep by the customer. When the customer discovers that their initial project definition was significantly limited and they attempt to add requirements to make up for their ill defined statement of work. Technical writing should be customer based with emphasis on the technology, that may or may not make it usable or understandable by everyone. The comprehension level should not be adjusted so everyone can understand unless your statement of work drives your project in that direction. It is called "Technical Writing" for a reason.

Yes, I agree with this defining the project purpose and scope is critical the the development. Often times in my experience, the purpose is a function of the type of document your customer needs created, edited or refined. Be it a operators manual, test instructions, report findings will direct the scope. I’ve also found that much of this structure is defined by the organization you’re supporting.

I agree. Technical writing should be able to be read by everyone. It should be set out so it is understandable and precise but with an emphasis on the target audience

When analyzing the audience, I also like to think of the objective to be met, and the desired benefits to the audience (you might say -- same thing as problem and purpose, but when I reframe it, sometimes I gain more insight). I also like to understand the range of expertise, because some will have more expertise. Understanding this helps me later when I distill into concise instructions/information for the experts with separate paragraphs or even links to additional pages where I provide more detailed information for those who need/wish to know more. The objective here is to cater to the whole range of expertise, so that the experts aren't annoyed with having to read through extra details, but the details are there for those who want them.

Once you accessed scope, you need to address the items to meet the scope criteria. This will involve breaking down the high level items into actionable tasks for people to work on. This can be done using SMART goals or another framework you prefer.

Deciding what the deliverables are takes knowing your target audience very well and knowing what avenues are available to the user to be able to use whatever deliverables are decided upon. For example, does the user sit at a desk or do they work on an oil rig? Knowing the environment in which your documentation will be used is as crucial as defining the project scope, in my opinion.

Adding assumptions about deadlines, expected page count, and total number of source files is helpful. If the project scope changes during production, referring to the scope assumptions can help discussions about scope creep or negotiating additions to the project.

The document should always be easily adaptable, it should have areas for future edit and additions and be capable of expansion or redaction.

The number one thing for any project is to create an outline. Think of the outline as the roadmap between where you are and where you want to go, with all the steps in-between. And, assuming your outline is detailed enough, when it's done, your article/report/book is done. All you need to do is fill in the details.

Another important factor to bear in mind when considering the scope of technical content is the overall business goals of the startup or organization. For instance, if your company provides API Testing services, it is expected that the scope of your content would revolve around APIs, Testing, Security, Developers, and Open-source. If you miss the overall business goal, you will attract the wrong audience that the product of your company might not entirely appeal to.

Define the project scope for technical writing by identifying the target audience, key objectives, and necessary content. Outline the topics to cover, the level of detail required, and any constraints like deadlines or resources. Clarify deliverables and get stakeholder approval to ensure everyone is aligned on expectations.