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>
>Here's a mantra that just might help.
>1. Accurate
>2. Concise
>3. Pretty
>
>That's my working order.
[big snip]
Rebecca,
That's an admirable way to work, and you've offered good advice that a lot of people can follow.
However, I'd like to suggest that for a lot of people, in appropriate circumstances, the reverse order works just as well:
1. Pretty
2. Concise
3. Accurate
Okay, if the laughter has died down now, let me explain.
When I'm working against a tight deadline (meaning all the time for most of us), accurate facts are sometimes elusive and late in arriving. I really can't just sit and wait until I have all of them before creating a usable document. For example, if I am working on a response to an RFP (last week's thread), answers to some questions may require input from SMEs who are hard to get hold of. Sometimes they even require a quick product enhancement completed in time to demonstrate a function we never really gave much thought to before.
So what I start with is a template (styles, layout, gross organization). Then I try to craft a concise, easily understood, well organized document--with content that may not be complete or accurate and has highlights and queries in all the questionable places. Then I drop in the facts as I get them.
The upshot is that when that last fact comes in, I'm minutes from printing.
This works for me. YMMV.
Dick
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