What are Compliance Technical Writers?

Compliance technical writers are a type of technical writer that creates documents meant to ensure compliance with all rules and regulations among the members of an organization. These compliance documents verify that any rules, policies, and regulations relating to an organization and its operations are being complied with, as well as explain what a compliance program involves and what must be done to implement it. As a kind of technical writer, compliance technical writers are also responsible for making sure that compliance documents are clear and easy to understand. In all, compliance technical writers enable organizations to keep up with the rules and standards of their industry, in turn helping to keep those organizations functioning smoothly and safely.

What Kind of Documents Do Compliance Technical Writers Create?

Compliance technical writers create many kinds of documents, each of which has their own role in enforcing an organization’s regulations. These include:

Compliance Plans: This type of documentation lays out a strategy for enforcing and confirming compliance, including the tasks that must be completed, the resources needed for the plan, and information on the regulations and laws that must be complied with.
SOPs: SOPs, or Standard Operating Procedures, consist of step-by-step instructions on how to complete a certain process or task.
Policy Documentation: These documents describe a policy or set of policies, containing such information as how to implement the policy, what compliance with the policy would involve, and why the policy is important.
Compliance Reports: These documents provide information that confirms an organization has been complying with relevant regulations and standards.

Why are Compliance Technical Writers Important?

By creating compliance documentation, compliance technical writers help to establish a plan for enforcing necessary regulations and standards while also making sure that all members of an organization are aware of said plan. This then enables that organization to coordinate efforts to ensure that the compliance plan is put into action. Without compliance technical writers, the members of an organization would have no way of knowing how they are supposed to comply with regulations, and may even have trouble understanding the compliance documents at all. Furthermore, if a business or other organization is unable to practice or show compliance with certain regulations or laws, it can be subject to fines, lawsuits, or loss of clients, among other penalties.

Compliance technical writers, with their knowledge of compliance programs and skill in writing, are necessary to create proper compliance documentation, which could otherwise end up confusing, unclear, or inaccurate. Considering that the rules and practices enforced by compliance documentation can include safety regulations, laws, and other such rules that concern the well-being of employees and the security of an organization, making sure that this documentation is clear and effective is a high priority. An example of this can be found in the General Data Protection Regulations, or GDPR, which businesses with clients in the European Union are legally required to comply with. Compliance technical writers can be essential to helping a business navigate these regulations.

A Man Writing on Paper while Listening to His Colleagues, representing the importance of Compliance Technical Writers

How EDC Can Help

Wanting to learn more about the benefits that compliance technical writers can provide? Check out some of our related content below:

Whether you need a single technical writer for a brief project or a team of consultants to produce a complete line of documentation, the quality of our work is guaranteed for you. Our clients work closely with an Engagement Manager from one of our 30 local offices for the entire length of your project at no additional cost. Contact us at (800) 221-0093 or [email protected] to get started.