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Subject:Re: Measuring Productivity From:Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- FS -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Mon, 21 Aug 1995 09:29:36 +0800
Kim Andrews (Lotiki -at- AOL -dot- COM) said:
> Lately, our office has been pondering the question of how to measure a
> writer's productivity. Our managers are not writers and they insist on
> measuring our productivity in number of pages. My questions include:
The iron rule of productivity measures is that, whatever you decide to
measure, you will get more of it. Lots more. If your managers want lots
of pages turned out fast, then measuring productivity by number of pages
is a good way to go.
They are also likely to get some or all of the following:
- pointless diagrams and screen dumps
- 'paint by numbers' task descriptions, slowing down the reader by making
them wade through stuff they didn't need to know
- extra sentences inserted just before a new heading to force an extra
page break
- if the writer has any control over page layout, some very sparse pages
AND BIG LETTERS -- even smaller pages
- poor quality control -- shoddy writing, grammar, and spelling
- lots of repetition -- over-use of copy & paste
- 'stream of consciousness' writing style
- etc, etc
Some of these things (screen dumps, active white space, use of repetition)
are desirable, but only when they're done for the right reasons.
Regards
---
Stuart Burnfield (slb -at- fs -dot- com -dot- au) Voice: +61 9 328 8288
Functional Software Fax: +61 9 328 8616
PO Box 192
Leederville, Western Australia, 6903
