ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how discussions about the process of text production in technical communication ultimately coincide with discussions of management. The organization of the writing process is seen as a function of how technical writers and those with whom they interact are managed as they cooperate and interact in developing technical documents. The two dominant views of effective management —the division of labor approach and the integrated team approach—correspond almost point for point with two competing models of the writing process, the linear model and the recursive model. The problem-solving approach to the writing process derives largely from cognitive science. Its strong appeal in technical communication arises partly from the analogy of writing and technology in the field, which shares with cognitive psychology another analogy—between the computer and the human mind. The application of management concepts to writing often repels theorists and practitioners with an expressivist or romantic bent.
