RE: Benchmarking Technical Documentation

[Tom Murrell <trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

--- "Christensen, Kent" <lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov> wrote:
> re:  I have to agree with Richard Smith and Andrew Plato, content is more
> important than format.
> 
> Sure, but content is 51% and format is 49%, isn't it?
> 
> Seems a bit an irrelevant discussion since it's the subject matter experts'
> responsibility to verify adequacy and completeness of content and it's the
> tech writer's responsibility to ensure readability, i.e. create the best
> format.  This is a list for tech writers--yes 49% means we are "support" but
> where's the problem in that?

I agree with you that technical writers are support. I also agree that
formatting is important. The content can be 100% correct, but if the reader
can't find the relevant content when they need it the fact that the content is
there and 100% accurate is irrelevant.

What I don't agree with is the notion that it is the SME's "responsibility to
verify the adequacy and completeness of content." Writers cannot ignore their
responsibility for the content of their documentation. It doesn't matter that
I'm not the expert in the area the documentation covers; I'm still responsible
for the documentation's accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness.

I'm also responsible for its presentation. Users must be able to find the
information they need quickly and easily, and they must be able to follow the
information presented so they can accomplish the tasks they come to the
documentation for.

It's not a question of either content or format. Both are needed. And the best
of both seems to occur when nobody notices. Format should not call attention to
itself; format should simply do its job. Content should not call attention to
itself; it shouldn't be a miracle or worthy of comment when someone actually
FINDS the needed information in the documentation. Technical writers do their
best work when they stay "under the radar" and simply do their jobs.

I think what frosts a lot of people is that some TWs can be handed a perfectly
good template--one that even has the headings set--and be told, "Don't fiddle
with the template. Go get the information for each section and put it in the
document." And when you get the documentation for review you find the writer
has either added unneeded style components, without consulting anyone, or
ignored them altogether in favor of the writer's favorite styles. AND they
didn't get the content right.

I think that's where much of the bias actually comes from. (But perhaps I'm
being harsh.)



=====
Tom Murrell
Lead Technical Writer
Alliance Data Systems
Columbus, Ohio
mailto:tmurrell -at- columbus -dot- rr -dot- com
Personal Web Page - http://home.columbus.rr.com/murrell/
Page Last Updated 07/15/01

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