50 Technical Writing Templates for Docs — free resource from DollarWise

1. Quick-start guide — Sections: Overview, Prerequisites, Installation, First run, Verification, Next steps, Troubleshooting.
2. Step-by-step how-to — Sections: Goal, Before you start, Steps 1-8, Expected result, Troubleshooting, Related guides.
3. API endpoint reference — Sections: Endpoint, Method, Authentication, Parameters table, Request example, Response example, Error codes.
4. API authentication guide — Sections: Overview, Getting credentials, Token flow, Example requests, Token expiry, Common errors.
5. Error code reference — Sections: Code, Meaning, Likely cause, Fix, Example, Related codes.
6. Troubleshooting guide — Sections: Symptom, Diagnosis steps, Common causes table, Fixes in order, When to contact support.
7. FAQ page — Sections: Introduction, Questions grouped by topic, Short answers with links, Contact section.
8. Release notes — Sections: Version, Release date, New features, Improvements, Bug fixes, Known issues, Upgrade steps.
9. Changelog entry — Sections: Version, Date, Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security.
10. Installation guide — Sections: System requirements, Download, Installation steps, Configuration, Verification, Uninstallation.
11. Configuration reference — Sections: Setting, Default, Allowed values, Description, Example, Notes.
12. Migration guide — Sections: Why migrate, Before you start, Backup steps, Migration steps, Verification, Rollback plan.
13. Upgrade guide — Sections: Current version, Target version, Breaking changes, Upgrade steps, Post-upgrade checks.
14. Getting-started tutorial — Sections: What you will build, Setup, Steps with screenshots, Final result, Where to go next.
15. Concept explainer — Sections: What it is, Why it matters, How it works, Key terms, Example, Common misconceptions.
16. Glossary entry set — Sections: Term, Definition, Example sentence, Related terms, See also.
17. User manual chapter — Sections: Purpose, Audience, Prerequisites, Procedures, Warnings, Summary.
18. Admin guide — Sections: Roles and permissions, User management, Settings, Monitoring, Backup, Security policies.
19. Security policy doc — Sections: Scope, Responsibilities, Access rules, Incident response, Reporting, Review schedule.
20. Privacy notice — Sections: Data collected, Purpose, Sharing, Retention, User rights, Contact.
21. Terms of use — Sections: Acceptance, Accounts, Acceptable use, Content ownership, Liability, Changes, Contact.
22. README file — Sections: Project overview, Features, Installation, Usage examples, Configuration, Contributing, License.
23. Contributing guide — Sections: Welcome, Code of conduct, Setup, Workflow, Pull request checklist, Review process.
24. Code of conduct — Sections: Purpose, Standards, Enforcement, Reporting, Consequences, Appeals.
25. Style guide — Sections: Voice and tone, Grammar rules, Terminology list, Formatting, Examples, Exceptions.
26. Internal wiki page — Sections: Purpose, Owner, Audience, Content, Related pages, Last reviewed date.
27. Standard operating procedure — Sections: Purpose, Scope, Roles, Materials, Procedure steps, Quality checks, Records.
28. Process documentation — Sections: Process name, Trigger, Inputs, Steps, Outputs, Exceptions, Metrics.
29. Onboarding guide — Sections: Welcome, Accounts to set up, Tools, First-week tasks, Key contacts, FAQ.
30. Training manual — Sections: Objectives, Audience, Modules, Exercises, Assessments, Resources.
31. Knowledge base article — Sections: Problem, Audience, Solution steps, Screenshots, Related articles, Feedback link.
32. Support macro template — Sections: Greeting, Acknowledgment, Solution, Next steps, Closing, Signature.
33. Bug report template — Sections: Summary, Steps to reproduce, Expected result, Actual result, Environment, Attachments.
34. Feature request template — Sections: Problem, Proposed solution, Alternatives considered, Impact, Acceptance criteria.
35. Incident report — Sections: Summary, Timeline, Impact, Root cause, Resolution, Action items, Lessons learned.
36. Post-mortem template — Sections: Summary, What went well, What went wrong, Timeline, Action items, Owners.
37. Meeting notes template — Sections: Date, Attendees, Agenda, Decisions, Action items with owners, Next meeting.
38. Project proposal — Sections: Problem, Goals, Scope, Approach, Timeline, Resources, Risks, Success measures.
39. Project status report — Sections: Summary, Progress, Milestones, Blockers, Next steps, Risks.
40. Requirements document — Sections: Purpose, Stakeholders, Functional requirements, Non-functional requirements, Constraints, Glossary.
41. Test plan — Sections: Scope, Test types, Test cases table, Environments, Entry and exit criteria, Risks.
42. Test case template — Sections: ID, Title, Preconditions, Steps, Expected result, Actual result, Status.
43. Deployment runbook — Sections: Overview, Prerequisites, Steps, Verification, Rollback, Contacts, Post-deployment checks.
44. Rollback plan — Sections: Trigger conditions, Steps, Verification, Communication plan, Owner.
45. Data dictionary — Sections: Field name, Type, Description, Allowed values, Source, Example.
46. Database schema doc — Sections: Table, Columns table, Relationships, Indexes, Constraints, Notes.
47. Architecture overview — Sections: Context, Components diagram, Data flow, Key decisions, Trade-offs, Future work.
48. Decision record (ADR) — Sections: Title, Status, Context, Decision, Consequences, Alternatives considered.
49. Accessibility statement — Sections: Commitment, Standards met, Known limitations, Feedback process, Review date.
50. Deprecation notice — Sections: Feature, Deprecation date, Removal date, Replacement, Migration steps, Contact.
