Frequently Asked Questions on Communications Quality
What is a good textbook on quality in documentation?
Defining Quality Technical Information by Gretchen Hargis et al, from Prentice Hall (first published, 1997). This book describes "characteristics of quality" in three categories with nine specific characteristics -- accuracy, completeness, task orientation, clarity, concreteness, visual effectiveness, retrievability, organization, and style. There are also chapters on how to apply such a quality model to the development process. There are many examples of "good" and "poor" implementation. The work is based on extensive use of this model within IBM, derived from customer surveys of user requirements. Many of the examples are from software documentation, but the model itself is generally applicable to all types of technical documentation, including online manuals.
What is the definition of "quality information"? How do I define good technical communication?
The August 1995 issue of Technical Communication (Volume 42, Number 3) has an excellent, comprehensive article about how to define quality: "Defining Quality in Technical Communication: A Holistic Approach" by Karl Smart, Kristie Seawright, and Kristen Bell DeTienne, p. 474. This article includes an extensive bibliography of references on quality.
"What is Quality" by Karl L. Smart in the March 1996 Intercom, p. 42
"Exploring Paths Toward Quality Information Products" by Seven Jong, 1995 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. 22
A somewhat older but still useful reference is from the May 1993 issue of Technical Communication (Volume 40, Number 2): "Quality in Document Design: Issues and Controversies" by Karen A. Schriver, p. 239. This article includes an extensive bibliography of references on measuring quality.
What "best practices" do other companies use to improve quality? What can I do to improve the quality of my technical communication?
"User-Centered Design for the Documentation Designer," by Carol Righi and Lynn VanDyke, 1996 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. 499
"Customer Satisfaction: New Expectations of the Technical Communicator," by Marlana Coe, 1991 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. MG-55.
"Using Inspections to Improve the Quality of Product Documentation and Code" by John Zuchero, p. 426 in the August 1995 issue of Technical Communication (Volume 42, Number 3).
"How In-Process Measurements Can Help You Manage Quality" by Lori Fisher, 1997 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. 195.
"How the Process and Organization Can Help or Hinder Adding Value" by Denise Pieratti, p. 61 of the February 1995 issue of Technical Communication (Volume 42, Number 1)
"A System of Formal Peer Review for Documentation" by Amy Sherwood and Joan Cowan in the 1987 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. MPD-70.
"Testing Online and Print User Documentation" by David Schell in IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Vol. 29, No. 4, p. 87
I need to develop metrics to measure the quality of my information. What is a good reference on measuring quality in technical communication?
"Can't Someone Tell Me How to Measure Quality?" by Lori Fisher in the 1988 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. 82.
"Demonstrating Effectiveness and Value: A Process for Evaluating Technical Communication Products and Services" by Saul Carliner, in the August 1997 issue of Technical Communication (Volume 44, Number 3).
"Establishing Quality Benchmarks for Technical Publications" by JoAnn Hackos, 1992 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. 684.
"How In-Process Measurements Can Help You Manage Quality" by Lori Fisher, 1997 STC Annual Conference Proceedings, p. 195.
"Using Questionnaires to Measure Value Added" by Theresa Marchwinsk, May 1997, p. 34 of STC Intercom.
I need to demonstrate to my managers and to my company that technical writers add value to the organization. How do I prove this?
Judy Ramey and Ginny Redish have done an excellent research project on "Measuring the Value Added by Professional Technical Communicators". The February 1995 issue of Technical Communication (Volume 42, Number 1) has a special section on "Measuring the Value Added by Professional Technical Communicators", including these 5 articles:
- "Adding Value as a Professional Technical Communicator" by Ginny Redish, p. 26
- "A Good User's Guide Means Fewer Support Calls and Lower Costs" by Cathy J. Spencer and Diana Kilbourn Yates, p. 52
- "A Good Installation Guide Increases User Satisfaction and Reduces Support Costs" by C. Al Blackwell, p. 56
- "How the Process and Organization Can Help or Hinder Adding Value" by Denise Pieratti, p. 61
- "Estimating the Cost of High-Quality Documentation" by Martha Cover, David Cooke, and Matt Hunt, p. 76
A good series of articles about "value add" was published in the STC newsletter Intercom:
- "Adding Value by Developing Information for Online Customer Support Services" by Jean Scholz, October 1996, p. 36.
- "Using Questionnaires to Measure Value Added" by Theresa Marchwinsk, May 1997, p. 34
- "Documentation Value" by Karl Smart and Kristie Seawright, July 1997, p. 35
How do I prove to my engineers or managers that the quality of the documentation does affect the overall quality of their product?
The following articles provide relevant information about this area:
- "Documentation Value" by Karl Smart and Kristie Seawright, July 1997, p. 35
- "The Effect of Documentation on Customer Perception of Product Quality", IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Vol 39, No. 3, p. 157 by Karl L. Smart, J.L. Madrigal, and Kristie Seawright.
- "Estimating the Cost of High-Quality Documentation" by Martha Cover, David Cooke, and Matt Hunt, p. 76 in the February 1995 issue of Technical Communication (Volume 42, No. 1) discusses the savings to overall product costs when an investment is made in quality documentation.
What is the Information Process Maturity Model? How is it related to CMM (Capability Maturity Model)?
The Capability Maturity Model is based on research done jointly by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), Carnegie Mellon University, and the US Department of Defense. The resulting model outlines the organizational characteristics necessary to produce quality software products. CMM has been used since the late 1980's to assess the comprehensiveness of quality processes and organizational structures for programming groups. A good reference on CMM is the book Managing the Software Development Process by Watts Humphrey, published in 1989.
In the mid-1990's, JoAnn Hackos began work to apply the CMM to Information Development. She refers to her model as the Information Process Maturity Model (IPMM). She introduced it in the book Managing Your Documentation Projects (see especially Chapter 3) in 1994, and further developed the idea in the article "From Theory to Practice: Using the Information Process-Maturity Model as a Tool for Strategic Planning" in the November 1997 issue of Technical Communication, pp. 369-381.
The core of both the CMM model and the IPMM model is five "levels" of organizational maturity. In IPMM, JoAnn calls these levels:
- Level 1: Ad Hoc
- Level 2: Rudimentary
- Level 3: Organized and Repeatable
- Level 4: Managed and Sustainable
- Level 5: Optimizing
Level 0 is often called "Oblivious."
It can be very instructive to use the characteristics of each level to assess your own information development department or team. The descriptions of each level also make a helpful guide for developing new processes for your group, or for formalizing current practices into repeatable processes.
How can I assess where my technical publications group falls within the Information Process Maturity Model?
Training and Document Solutions Ltd. offers a quiz designed to help technical communicators assess where their organization falls withing the Information Maturity Model and identify the steps that are needed to advance to the next level of process maturity. The quiz has been validated and approved by JoAnn Hackos.
The introduction to the quiz can be found at http://www.tds.co.il/ipmm_quiz_intro.htm.
The quiz itself can be found at http://www.tds.co.il/ipmm_quiz.htm.