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.
In a message dated 97-11-14 07:09:07 EST, Krista writes:
<< I was asked to produce some idiot-proof instructions for procedures
that I thought were already documented fairly comprehensively.
<<I find that I'm not very confident about how much to include.
<snip>
<<I'm concerned that the procedures will be much too long. I really
dislike seeing 20- or 30-step procedures.
<<An influencing factor is that the users are not native English speakers
...<<
I think, Krista, that non-native readers will be comforted by numbered
procedures, even if they are 20 or 30 steps, because they will believe
they have completed the task and not assumed or excepted anything.
Another process that will help is to break each step logically, that is, do
not include more than one discrete action in a step.
<<they even asked me to spell out all abbreviations and acronyms, even
though abbreviations are used in the menus and windows. (This does
not strike me as a simplification, but it indicates that they want
everything down to the nth detail.)<<
You might suggest that abbreviations and acronyms be covered in a
glossary-type list in the back. Using the menu and window text _exactly
as it appears_ will help your readers follow your procedures.
Another item to explore: are your readers familiar with American, British,
Canadian or Australian English? This may affect their understanding.
Hope these ideas help Ann
==========================
Ann Mackenzie: AnnMacknz -at- aol -dot- com
TekDoc - Technical Documentation, Inc. in Milwaukee, WI, USA
specializing in policies & procedures and software & engineering writing
