Documentation in tough times
08/07/09 10:40 Filed in: publishing
From an
interesting article by Mike Hughes....
A managed compromise is one where something gets left undone, because you made a rational decision to leave it undone. An unintended compromise is one where something gets left undone, because you ran out of time at the end of a project. For example, a Help file might not include an index, because you decided creating one was too costly a use of resources, and users could use the search function instead. We might debate whether that was a good decision, but we can all agree that it was a decision based on thoughtful analysis. Or the Help file might not include an index, because you barely finished the topics in time for release as it was, never mind an index. We might debate whether that would cause a big problem for users, but we can all agree that it did not happen that way because you planned it that way; it just happened.
Hughes sets up a hockey stick metaphor, and explains that in terms of cost and time, it is worthwhile to do everything up to the knee of the hockey stick, and then you have diminishing returns. Unfortunately, we are seeing the index winding up being whacked by the hockey stick.
A managed compromise is one where something gets left undone, because you made a rational decision to leave it undone. An unintended compromise is one where something gets left undone, because you ran out of time at the end of a project. For example, a Help file might not include an index, because you decided creating one was too costly a use of resources, and users could use the search function instead. We might debate whether that was a good decision, but we can all agree that it was a decision based on thoughtful analysis. Or the Help file might not include an index, because you barely finished the topics in time for release as it was, never mind an index. We might debate whether that would cause a big problem for users, but we can all agree that it did not happen that way because you planned it that way; it just happened.
Hughes sets up a hockey stick metaphor, and explains that in terms of cost and time, it is worthwhile to do everything up to the knee of the hockey stick, and then you have diminishing returns. Unfortunately, we are seeing the index winding up being whacked by the hockey stick.