Technical Communication

1. Technical Communication - as a service in the IT consulting industry Anupama Gummaraju

2. In this Presentation • Why define technical writing / technical communication as a service? • Attempt to define the scope of the service • Service defined – what next? • Challenges • External to your organization • Internal to your organization • Meeting the challenges • Internal approach, first • External facing issues, second

3. Why define a service? • The context • Major outsourcing trend has begun, to countries like India • Increase in client base • Clients’ needs are diverse, fast-changing • They require • Speed of response • Execution readiness from documentation teams • Process maturity • Knowledge of diverse authoring tools to serve a wide client-base • Domain knowledge & knowledge about services companies in the market • Technical writing service units can be enabled to address these needs

4. Attempt to define the scope of the service What is a technical communication service? • An independent unit that provides services like • Developing / preparing / delivering technical/user documentation • Editing • Reviewing • Packaging and publishing (online and print) • Consultation on document development strategy • Consultation on documentation/publishing process • Developing training material • Training • L10N services • An integral part of a services organization • That does all of the above

5. Attempt to define the scope of the service • A service within an organization that seeks to • Become a key player in delivering what the organization delivers • Contribute to the organization’s bottomline • A business that is driven by • A plan • Goals • Targets

6. Not detailed in this presentation Service defined – What next? • As a group of professionals, how can you address client and organizational needs? • We need to • Understand the challenges both internal to the organization and to the client • Identify ways of meeting them • Actionize • Track • Collate data for re-use, repeatability of success

7. Challenges • External to the organization • Established companies looking for partnership • To expand team size • To see quick resource ramp up • To see capable program management • Established companies looking for cost savings • Along with process improvements • Clients looking for end-to-end solutions • Documentation authoring including technical specs, design documents, system documentation, user documentation, activities related to the “user experience” • Clients looking for “Consulting” • Study legacy systems, do a gap analysis, do a process analysis, suggest take-over strategy, productivity or process improvements

8. Challenges continued • Internal to the organization • Our premise • A documentation/technical writing/communications dept. exists • If the premise is wrong: • Where do we fit in the organization’s structure? • Diverse project needs across the organization’s units • Diverse proposal needs across the business development units • Multi-locational staffing • Understanding the organization’s delivery model • Making yourself a known, value-adding entity • Being the differentiator for your projects/clients • PROVING that you can be a differentiator

9. Meeting the challenges • Identify • What you can do for the organization NOT what the organization can do for you State what services you can provide, sit back and wait for work to come your way Pick up the organization’s service delivery model See where you can contribute Get the required ammo in place Convince them how you can make their service a better one

10. It is all about being in a state of READINESS A few pointers follow on how…

11. Meeting the challenges - Internally • Start thinking DELIVERY - talk their language • Position yourself • Not as a unit that offers a particular service • As a unit that offers what projects need to achieve the best results • Enable yourself in: • Fitting in documentation proposals within the organization’s RFP response Artifact • Overview of your group and services • What is in scope / out of scope • Authoring software used • Image editing software used • Proposed methodology in brief • Effort estimate details • Change management process • Assumptions • Risks and mitigation plans • Operational details

12. Meeting the challenges – Internally continued Know the organization’s proposal templates, staffing templates, costing calculation templates and how to use them • Enable yourself in: • Project planning • Have an MS project template that you can use to quickly plan • Scheduling • Effort estimation • Document an effort estimate template / use what is available off the net Artifact Artifact

13. Meeting the challenges – Internally continued • Enable yourself in: • Staffing / matching skill sets with project needs • Database of resources, skill sets categorized by competency level • Costing • Define your rates: Onsite and offshore rates • Hourly/daily/per page • Rates for different roles of writers, like junior, senior, or team lead roles • Have case studies ready Artifact Artifact Artifact

14. Meeting the challenges – Internally continued • Understand how delivery works and partner with them • Integrate the documentation service into your organization’s service offering • By processes • By systems • By networking • By selling • Ensure that your partnership starts at the ideal entry point • To make a case: do your research • Reference: Measuring the Value Added by Technical Documentation, A Review of Research and Practice, Jay Mead, Technical Communication, Volume 45 • Map the responsibilities to a career path, like delivery All this will bringing you in synch with the organization’s delivery model

15. Meeting the challenges – Externally continued • Define a methodology • Document that covers the methodology to develop printed, online, online c-s help Artifact Comprehensiveto include Analysis & Planning Design Document Development Production and Delivery Deploy Update Maintain Map the output for each stage Scope document, project plan Templates, Table of Contents Drafts Defects log Packaged deliverable Sign-off Updated drafts

16. Meeting the challenges – Externally continued • Define • Delivery model in synch with the organization’s delivery model • Offshore, Offshore + Onsite, Onsite moving completely offshore • Processes • DDLC in step with the SDLC or end-to-end services map • Guidelines • Peer Review checklists, Engineering review checklists, • Editorial review checklists, Production checklists Artifact • Staffing plans • Document how you staff projects • Example: Constant team, Ramp-up, ramp-off team Artifact

17. Meeting the challenges – Externally continued • Define • Guidelines that will help you quickly arrive at ballpark effort estimates, staffing estimates and costing • Document an effort estimate template / use what is available off the net Artifact • Documentation standards document, reference a well known one that you follow Company Style Guide, Referenced Style Guide like MS Guide Artifact

18. Enabling at various levels As senior writers/team leads – within your team • Identify and always have a skill set base for quick reference • Plan training based on this information • Ensure that the team has some basic training in the more popular HATs • Identify people/teams who can draft the artifacts, track them to closure • Equip writers to think as consultants Motivate and set a career path Artifact • Responsibilities chart that outlines these Roles document • Map the responsibilities to a career path

19. Enabling at various levels continued As senior writers/team leads – within the organization • Network with project teams, business development managers, quality teams • Prepare and distribute kits that managers can use to sell your service • Identify systems and processes that you can modify in favor of technical communication • Identify and always have a skill set base for quick reference

20. Enabling at various levels continued As writers/team members • Know the challenges • Enable yourself by learning the tools and concepts • Offer to author the documents and standards that your organization needs • Build capabilities to address all the challenges mentioned

21. Questions?Thank you