Re: Measurable objectives?

[Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>]

   [1]nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il wrote:

This came up a week or two ago at my day job.
I'm in Israel and we're always eager to hear
what the tried, true, and sophisticated technical
writers from the USA have to say.



   Hold on their....just who do you think yer calling sophisticated?????
   All joking aside, it's easy to track if documentation is produced early, on
   time or late. Quality is a lot more difficult. Some might measure quality
   from a layout (artistic) angle, while others view only the content. What is
   accepted as quality to one group of users may be viewed as garbage by
   another.  You can try to measure quality through feedback from users but
   most users either don't have time or don't care about providing feedback.
   One measure may be a review of service calls before and after a release of
   new documentation, but that is also dependent upon the age of the produce.
   New products will have more CS calls than older, established products.  The
   best feedback I ever got about documentation quality was attending a
   National Association of Broadcasters convention one year and actually
   talking face-to-face with end users, but that isn't always an option for
   most writers.
   Al

   --

   Al Geist
   Technical Writing, Online Help, Marketing Collateral, Web Design, Award
   Winning Videos, Professional Photography
   Voice/Msg: 802-658-3140

   Cell: 802-578-3964
   E-mail: [2]al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com 
   URL: [3]www.geistassociates.com (online portfolio/resume)

   See also:
   URL: [4]www.geistimages.com (fine art prints for home for office, and note
   cards for all occasions)
   "When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to
   answer "Present" or "Not guilty.""
                            Theodore Roosevelt

References

   1. mailto:nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il
   2. mailto:al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
   3. http://www.geistassociates.com/
   4. http://www.geistimages.com/
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