My Approach to writing
Approach to Writing/Editing Projects
By: Mike Gemmell
The following paragraphs are a generic guide, or checklist, for writing and editing projects. Certain sections apply only to specific types of writing projects, (e.g., product user manuals).
Planning
Establish the mission of the project
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Establish purpose/goal of the project (remember there may be different perspectives to consider, e.g., sales, engineering, buyer / user, etc.)
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Contact key subject matter experts to explain information needs/issues
Gather information for projects
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Review previous editions or similar documents, if available (e.g., system designs, flowcharts, specifications, user specifications, etc.)
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Interview subject matter experts
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Use product -- if writing project is for product documentation
Establish type of document(s) needed to fulfill mission of the project
Perform user-task analysis (for user manual documents only)
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Identify user types and typical tasks: planning, decision making, etc.
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Develop user interview questionnaire
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Interview users to discover:
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Tasks to be performed
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Informational needs to perform tasks
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Range of users' experience with product
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Construct matrix showing tasks or goal and description of topic needed to address
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Perform user tasks to understand what user manual should be providing user
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Write summary document presenting conclusion fro user-task analysis
Develop schedule for writing project
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Develop summary document describing deliverables
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Estimate time/cost for key items including:
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personnel and resources needed to complete project
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detailed outline development
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writing drafts
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development of document design
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editorial review
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graphics support
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proofing and copyediting
Writing
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Outline via the table of contents
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Use informative introductory material
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Write procedures for selected tasks (primarily for user manuals)
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Write reference material (as needed)
Revising and Editing
Early Reviews
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Review purpose / goal of document - has it been achieved?
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Review of document structure and organization
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Review overall readability, consistency, and accuracy
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Develop reviewer guidelines for subject matter experts
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State what looking for from each tpe of reviewer
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Distill comments (look for recurring issues)
Final Review
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Simplify text and phrases (use active voice, watch fog index, etc.)
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Check document against style guide
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Check spelling and grammar