Breaking With Tradition

Though the term 'agile' isn't often ascribed to the ways of software configuration management, Steve Berczuk offers some ways in which applying the principles of agile SCM can help teams work more effectively.

Berczuk, Steve. StickyMinds (2006). Careers>Project Management>Agile

Broaden Your Horizons: Enhance Your Image and Value  

Proposes ways that technical communicators can broaden their skill sets while improving their visibility and reputations within their organizations.

Russell, Karen Golden. Intercom (2004). Careers>Education>Continuing

The Bucket Brigade: A Hands-On Workshop on Mobilizing Communications Resources to Extinguish Company or Client Fires  

Technical communicators are accustomed to being thrown into the breech when their employers or clients confront severe business challenges. Rather than rush into the fray, we stand a better chance of tilting the business outcomes in our companies’ or clients’ favor if we remain disciplined under fire. A good way to achieve that discipline is to structure the communications team in a manner best suited to collaborative ventures and then implement those ventures in an orderly process called integrated strategic communication. This workshop begins with a brief explanation of how the Communications Department at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Orlando (LMMFC-O) uses integrated strategic communication to defend the company’s existing business base or seek new business in the fiercely competitive defense industry. Workshop participants will work in teams to complete practical hands-on exercises applying the process of integrated strategic communication to scenarios involving pressing business/technical communication challenges.

Voss, Daniel W. and William C. Wiese. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Management>Collaboration

Buggy Whips, the Arch Deluxe, and Quality Improvement  

Sometimes quality is not enough to ensure success. Do you know who made the world’s finest buggy whips? Neither do I. Doubtless the manufacturer continuously improved its product to a fare-thee-well, but once the automobile became popular, the market for buggy whips (to say nothing of the market for buggies) evaporated, and there was nothing to be done for it.

Jong, Steven F. Intercom (2003). Careers>TC>Assessment

Build Your Writing Inventory

Want a professional writing secret? Build your writing inventory. Unless you have an inventory, you have nothing to sell.

Booth, Angela. Digital-E (2003). Careers>Writing>Business Communication>Blogs

Building a Constituency Through Outreach  

Since government agencies deal with all audiences represented in the population, a variety of communication strategies must be used. One example from work at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory serves to illustrate this point in reaching out to communicate environmental issues. In this example, interpersonal, community, mass media, and print communication all serve a vital role in building a constituency around one environmental issue.

Carter, Kathy E. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>TC>Environmental>Government

Building a More Effective Documentation Group  

Suggests ten ways that managers of technical communicators can make their departments more efficient, effective, and valuable to their companies.

Smith, Susan E. Intercom (2003). Careers>Management>Documentation

Building a Technical Writing Portfolio

Technical writing is one of the few careers in which building a portfolio can be almost impossible. A technical writing portfolio is not limited by your experience, but by your imagination. And a good imagination is one of the things employers like to see in a technical writer.

Dodson, Linnea. Writer's Block (1999). Careers>Portfolios

Building Blocks to a Body of Knowledge for User-Centered Design: To Certify or Not to Certify

For the past nine months the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) participated in a project to investigate the feasibility of certifying usability (or user-centered design) professionals. The project was kicked off in Salt Lake City last November when a group of people from many organizations, countries and associations met for three days. That meeting ended with a sense of enthusiasm for creating a certification program based on the international standard for a human-centered design process, ISO 13407. The group planned activities to survey professionals to determine the level of support for certification, and to understand the benefits and drawbacks seen by stakeholders.

Quesenbery, Whitney. Usability Interface (2002). Careers>Certification>Usability>User Centered Design

Business Correspondence and Resumes

This chapter focus on business correspondence-general format and style for business letters as well as specific types of business letters.

McMurrey, David A. Io.com. Careers>Resumes>Writing>Business Communication

Business Entity Options

You've mastered Photoshop, Flash, PHP, CSS, XHTML and JavaScript; studied usability, accessibility, and information architecture; and can fake your way through XML. But there’s more to running a web business than that.

Kramer, Scott. List Apart, A (2002). Careers>Management>Web Design

Business Objectives: A Key Tool for Demonstrating the Value of Technical Communication Products    

Little has been written for technical communicators on how to identify the business goals of the projects we work on, or how to write those goals in observable, measurable terms. When we prepare goals in observable, measurable terms, we call these goals objectives. This article is intended to fill that gap. It first describes the challenges of setting business objectives for a project, next describes the three ways that a performance improvement program can contribute to the business performance of an organization, and then explains how to write a business objective. Finally, this article describes the benefits of writing business objectives.

Carliner, Saul. Technical Communication Online (1998). Careers>Writing>Business Communication

The Business of Web Design

There's a lot more to being a successful web designer than designing good web sites. Your job is actually to satisfy your client. This section provides guidelines from our experience of running web agencies, which we hope will help you be more successful and more fulfilled.

Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Careers>Web Design

The Business of Writing: How Do I Set My Rates?

Do you know how much what you do is worth? Very likely a lot more than you think. But how do you figure out how much to charge for a given job?

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2001). Careers>Consulting>Pricing

Business Plans Build Good Business  

Developing a business plan—without it, your independent practice will flounder.

Frick, Elizabeth G. 'Bette'. Intercom (2004). Careers>Management>Planning>Business Communication

Business Roundtable:  Are You Ready to Grow Your Business?  

In 2001 and beyond, do you plan to be the boss?  If you have the entrepreneurial itch, running your own business may be central to your career plan.  What practical, professional and emotional pitfalls are in store?  Four successful business owners share their experiences and discuss how to turn potential pitfalls into challenging, lucrative adventures.  

Fredrickson, Lola, Sheila Jones, Stephanie L. Rosenbaum and Donna Sakson. STC Proceedings (2000). Careers>Management>TC

Business Web Sites for the Self-Employed: Part Two  

What does it take to get a Web site running on the Internet? When you have a site that is ready for some real-life testing, you are ready to put the site up. Publishing a Web site is a three-step process: getting a domain name, choosing a host, and posting the site.

Fugate, Alice E. And Elizabeth A. 'Betsy' Frick. Intercom (2003). Careers>Freelance>Web Design

But I Don't Know Anyone: Networking 101 for Introverts

'But I don't know anyone is a common response when I give people the advice to build their professional networks. What they really mean is 'I don't know anyone who can give me a job.' This protest and response is missing the point. Networking is not justabout finding work. It's about building a professional network of peers who keep in touch on a professional level, who can help each other out from time to time, share pertinent information, and keeping your mind in shape.

Hamer, Emma C. Hamer Associates. Careers>Collaboration>Community Building

By the Water Cooler in Cyberspace, the Talk Turns Ugly

Thousands of message boards for individual companies have emerged over the last few years, creating a window on what some employees feel but never say publicly. Often the view through this window is rather ugly.

Abelson, Reed. New York Times, The (2001). Careers>Workplace>Collaboration>Online

Calculating the Value-Added: What Hiring Managers Need to Know About Academic Technical Communication Programs  

Hiring managers need to understand academic programs in technical communication in order to evaluate potential new hires, especially for entry-level positions in challenging, high-tech, international environments. Changes in the profession, in the workplace, and in higher education have led to the proliferation of academic programs. These may offer advantages over non-academic training, in terms of cost, comprehensiveness, content, and control. Academic programs are also different among themselves, based on credentials, institutions, instructors, and program homes. By developing reasonable, informed expectations for what academic programs teach, managers who hire program graduates can experience the payoffs of lower-risk, more cost-effective long-term hires.

Rehling, Louise. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Interviewing>Management

California Labor Market Information System: Technical Writers

Technical Writers compose communication from product developers for users of the products. Users include consumers as well as scientists, engineers, plant executives, line workers, and production managers. Writers must write in a concise and easy-to-read manner for consumer publications or in highly specialized language for experts. With the increased use of desktop publishing, Technical Writers increasingly are responsible for the publication process including graphics, layout, and document design. Technical Writers create product instructions, reference and maintenance manuals, articles, project proposals, training materials, technical reports, catalogs, brochures, online documentation and help systems, Web pages, multimedia presentations, parts lists, assembly instructions, and sales promotion materials.

State of California (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Capital Equipment Workshop  

This workshop exposes attendees to the complexities of capital equipment budgeting and purchase, specifically in the areas of depreciation, useful life of a product, and accounting and company policy. By role-playing in a simulated business environment, attendees 'learn the ropes' and sharpen their skills.

Caernarven-Smith, Patricia. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Management

The Care and Feeding of Freelancers

Freelancers can be bright, savvy, ornery, creative -- a thousand descriptions apply, but 'conformist' usually isn't one of them. Here are some tips for hiring and working with freelancers, and for keeping your employees happy at the same time.

Adams, Eric J. Creative Pro (2004). Careers>Freelance>Management

The Care and Feeding of Teams: Strategies for Team Leaders  

Teams, like individuals, go through various developmental stages. Understanding these stages enables a team leader to know if the team is developing normally. Although the team leader’s role and level of involvement vary from stage to stage, there are strategies that the leader can use to spur the team’s growth at each stage.

Hansen, Lauren Y. and Susan M. J. Lester. STC Proceedings (1999). Careers>Management>Collaboration