Is Poor Documentation Costing Your Company?

While most folks cringe at the very mention of the word "documentation", management realizes that it is a necessary evil in today's world. Even with this knowledge, documentation is still a major sticking point for most companies. Why is that? Is it because there is really no method to measure its effectiveness? Is it because it's hard to place a real value on something you know will sit on someone's bookshelf and collect dust? Keep these in mind as we go forward.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone that has purchased a product only to learn that the accompanying "manual/instructions" are completely worthless. We've all been there. But doesn't this company care that I can't use their product because of sub-par documentation? Don't they care that I will be inconvenienced by having to research the product "they" just sold me? That's the exact feeling I get and I'm convinced that folks reading this post feel the same way too! It's not a good feeling and it certainly goes a long way in my decision to buy from them again.

In the academic world, rubrics are a common form of defining expectations, providing a means for real-time feedback and measuring the quality of written papers. There is a place in the corporate world to implement something similar.

In its simplest form, technical documentation needs to answer the following questions. 

• Who is the end-user (audience)?
• What is the purpose of the documentation?

Identifying the audience and purpose is only the first step. We must then setup metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the documentation being developed and presented. To successfully measure our work, the following questions must be answered.

• Is the documentation visually appealing?
• Is the documentation logically laid-out and organized?
• Is the user able to quickly find answers to their issues?
• Has the documentation had an impact on the overall safety of operating or maintaining the product?
• Has the documentation had an impact on the product or service quality?
• Has the documentation had an impact on the product or service orders?
• Has the documentation had an impact on the amount of calls coming into your customer service department?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more that needs to be considered when developing high quality documentation sets, and Hunter McKenzie L.P. knows what you need and what your customers expect! Our expertise in this arena affords us the ability to work how you think. 

From complex Equipment Manuals and Procedures to cutting-edge, Augmented Reality Training and Enhanced Media, let Hunter McKenzie L.P. turn your most complex, technical information into practical, usable documentation!