TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE: Pages Per Day From:Melissa Nelson <melmis36 -at- hotmail -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:47:04 -0400
I think Tina the Techwriter said it best when her boss decided he would pay her based on the number of pages she produces. She replied "Fine, I will give a high volume of low quality work!" I have that particular strip hanging in my cube! :)
Melissa
> Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:14:43 -0400> From: suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Subject: Re: Pages Per Day> > Somewhere I heard the expression "documentation can be 1) good, 2) fast, and> 3) cheap. Pick two. If they want it that fast, and still want it to be good,> it isn't going to be cheap and will probably involved hiring a crew of> contractors to help out. If they don't want to do that, then it will be fast> and cheap, in which case it isn't going to be good.> > Thanks for the link to the dependency calculator, Julie. It may come in> handy when I need to justify my own time :-)> > I use Help & Manual, and tend to complete 4-5 topics per day. Of course,> that depends on the complexity of the topic though. Some topics may take a> couple of days to complete, while others can be finished in 15 minutes. I'd> like to be able to figure out an average.> > Speaking of complexity, our application is modular and consists of> approximately 10+ modules. Some modules have user manuals that are 700 - 800> pages long. I am a lone technical writer who has only recently convinced> them that this is NOT a part time job. I tried to convince them to hire> another techwriter, so that we would be able to build up our knowledgebase,> as well as create training manuals and guides. I should have kept my mouth> shut though, because they love the idea of training materials, and have> added that to my list of tasks.> > I responded by booking vacation (starting next week).> > There are a lot of pointy-hair bosses out there.> > Suzette Leeming> > > On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:58 AM, Julie Stickler <jstickler -at- gmail -dot- com>> wrote:> > > I've been using the dependency calculator on the ComTech Web site ever> > since someone posting it to one of my mailing lists.> >> > http://www.comtech-serv.com/dependency_calculator.htm> >> > I've been keeping track of my own productivity for a couple of years> > now, and so far my personal numbers match the estimator pretty well.> > My previous gig ran 3 - 5 hours per page, depending on the project.> > My current gig (which is a *tad* less structured and has no> > specifications to help me get up to speed) is taking me quite a bit> > longer. I haven't finished my current project yet, but the estimates> > from the dependency calculator are 8 - 9 hours per page, which may> > explain why this project seems to be taking forever. *groans*> >> > At five hours per page, tell them that you (lone writer?) can write> > them six and a half pages of documentation in four days. If you've> > got a team, do the math for the team. Then, as Bill said, let the> > negotiations begin.> >> > BTW, how long did they spend coding this monster? I'm sure it wasn't> > four days... Sounds like they brought the writers in a little late in> > the process. I always want to say (but usually end up just muttering> > inside my head) "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an> > emergency on my part...."> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> >> > Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or> > printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007> > Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.> > http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList> >> > True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.> > Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical> > documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com> >> > ---> > You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com -dot- > >> > To unsubscribe send a blank email to> > techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> > or visit> > http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/suzette.leeming%40gmail.com> >> >> > To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> >> > Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit> > http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.> >> >> > > -- > "What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others." - Diogenes> > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail> > Need affordable web hosting? I recommend 1 & 1 - that's where I'm hosted!> http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=6815038> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> > Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or > printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 > Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList> > True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.> Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical> documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com> > ---> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as melmis36 -at- hotmail -dot- com -dot- > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/melmis36%40hotmail.com> > > To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> > Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit> http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
