Project Management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.
#21673
From Independent Consultant to Business Manager 
Moving from being an independent contractor to being a business owner is a big step. It involves not only practical concerns, such as accounting, legal, and administrative ones, but also re-evaluations in goals and outlooks. Sometimes we need to work through barriers, or blocks, to achieving success as a business owner.
Fay, Brenda. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Management>Consulting
#29775
From Independent Consultant to Employer
Making the leap from independent consultant to employer is a complex process. When you become an employer you are no longer dealing with the same tasks that are familiar to you. When we decided to combine our efforts to start a training and documentation consulting company, we overcame difficulties, but made mistakes along the way. If you have been pondering the idea of starting a business, we hope that our experience can better prepare you for becoming a successful employer.
Dianetti, Angela and Jill McCauslin. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Management>Consulting
#24600
From Manager to Individual Contributor — Would You Rather be a Worker Bee?
Becoming an individual contributor again after being a manager can be one of the most important decisions of your career. I made the decision over two years ago, and it was right for me. Is it right for you?
Boutin, Carmie. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Management
#26593
From Sentence to Bullet: How to Style a One-Page Résumé for Traction
The one-page MBA résumé has become, in graduate management education, the self-representational document of choice. Sentences are out, bullets are in, details remain. The key is how to detail the bullet to describe, define, and deliver, in non-narrative form, professional achievements and accomplishments. In this paper, I examine samples of raw quasi-narrative descriptions and suggest restyled improvements for single-line bullets that more clearly, precisely, and effectively represent how authors describe their achievements. The raw data come from a data set of some 400 résumés submitted as a task in a studio-based broadcast course on business communication. The authors are mid-level managers in Latin America enrolled in a global MBA program. The paper examines the content and form of the objective, summary, and professional experience sections of the résumé and provides a set of tips for written language use in the résumé.
Staczek, John J. Association for Business Communication (2005). Careers>Resumes>Management>Business Communication
#20331
From Technical Writing to Knowledge Engineering
This paper describes one writer's journey from capturing disparate bits of information as a technical writer in a large corporation to creating knowledge bases of related and evolving data, information, and knowledge. It illustrates how information development professionals can leverage their communication skills into highly-valued, interactive positions, working on teams with domain experts, information technology and information retrieval professionals, and end-users.
Knodel, Elinor L. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Writing>Knowledge Management>Technical Writing
#18388
The Web is WYSIWYG. What you see is what you get. What you see on the monitors and via the connections - and what you use for beta testing - is what your work will look like to all those who check out your URL. What's on your screen will be pretty close to what's on their screens. Print is a different matter altogether. Once your files leave your computer, there's a whole wonderful road they have to journey along to make it into print. You do everything you can to make sure they're ready for their adventure, but just as you're likely to forget your toothbrush or your favorite socks when you take a trip, your files often go to print missing a vital item. You can only hope that the thing you forgot about is easy to correct and not a big expensive mistake that blows your deadline and your budget. Getting your files through your service bureau (where your files are turned into negatives so that your negatives ultimately become the finished product) and to the printer is like taking up the gauntlet. Best case scenario, you'll be winded; worst case, you'll be pounded to a bloody pulp. I fear I'm showing my bias toward the Web.
Frew, Jim. Webmonkey (1999). Design>Content Management>Single Sourcing
#22054
Any document has three distinct parts: front matter; text; and back matter and reference material.
#31231
Frontline Managers and Human Resources: Partnering for Effective Communication
In my human resources consulting practice, when I ask employees about their major concerns, their primary complaint is how poorly their managers communicate with them about human resources issues, especially compensation and job performance objectives. Ensuring that effective employee communication is embedded in the company’s culture is everyone’s responsibility—from senior executives on down. However, the primary players in effective employee communication are human resources professionals and frontline managers.
Rubino, John A. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Management>Business Communication
#22415
Fulfilling the Promise of Content Management
The Web explosion brought with it the proliferation of published content and the heightened need for content management (CM). Before that CM lived primarily in the publishing industry, where it never truly fulfilled its promise. Now that the 'dot-com' hysteria has settled CM has become a focal point again as mature, more traditional enterprises from all industries tune their sites – Internet, intranet and extranet.
Kartchner, Chris. ASIST (2001). Articles>Content Management
#31125
The Full Definition of Content Management
The next time you start a conversation about Content Management with someone, start by trying to gain an understanding what they think content management is. You might be surprised.
#21768
Content reuse is fundamental to a successful unified content strategy.This chapter defines content reuse and the benefits ofits use.It explores how other industries have employed reuse for decades to improve their processes and the quality oftheir products. Content can be reused in many ways. The choice ofthe different methods and options for reuse are dependent upon your organization’s needs and technology.This chapter details the pros and cons ofusing each method and the associated options,and it provides the concepts that underlie the remainder ofthe book.
Rockley, Ann. AIfIA (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Content Strategy
#31710
Fundamentals of Leadership: Communicating a Vision
Great leaders are not always born that way. Unfortunately, many management training programs don't sufficiently emphasize leadership development, but instead focus on fundamentals and the day-to-day tasks that confront managers within the organization. This article takes a look at how having vision and then communicating it is the foundation of leadership and contributes to the makeup of a truly great leader.
Harris, Kerri. Writing Assistance (2006). Careers>Management>Collaboration>Business Communication
#26041
The Future of Technical Communication: The Perspective of a Management Consultant 
This commentary summarizes the seven articles in this special issue and also argues that technical communication as a profession is in the midst of a disruption caused by low-cost innovators. Technical communicators can counter this trend by drastically reducing costs and increasing productivity in current operations. But the most valuable strategy is the difficult task of pursuing customer knowledge, which is difficult to replicate by those with little access to customers. Working for the customer and providing them with the information they need to be successful in using products and systems is critical to the future of technical communication.
Hackos, JoAnn T. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Management>TC
#14593
Fuzzy Matching as a Retrieval-Enabling Technique for Digital Libraries
This paper advocates an often-neglected search-support technique, approximate or 'fuzzy' matching of user search terms. When properly deployed, fuzzy matching can significantly enhance the benefits of other, more common approaches to end-user answer retrieval from online reference collections. We compare crude with more sophisticated approximation techniques to explain how astute fuzzy-match software can convert many different near-miss situations (such as those involving faulty prefixes or suffixes, character misplacement, nonstandard word stems, or unanticipated redescription of concepts) into more adequate results. We also suggest practical ways to overcome fuzzy matching's own major drawbacks (namely, problems with search speed, search imprecision, and misinterpretation of search results). The resulting analysis clarifies how to deploy fuzzy matching for maximum effectiveness. We conclude that appropriate fuzzy matching enables more frequent, more flexible search success than do ordinary retrieval-improvement techniques used without it.
Girill, T.R. and Clement H. Luk. CSU Chico (1996). Articles>Content Management>Web Design>Search
#31745
Gantt to Glory: Evolving from Project Management to Successful Web Operations
Is the sheer possession of a PMP intended to be the Holy Grail of successful web projects, known to fail at a startling rate, or simply a way to divorce oneself from whatever outcome may result from the web project?
Podnar, Kristina. Content Wrangler, The (2008). Articles>Web Design>Project Management>Planning
#29083
General Burnside and His Orders For The Battle Of Fredericksburg: Lessons in How Not To Communicate
Communicating plans to subordinates is not an easy task. It requires that the writer be adept in accurately using the language of his/her discipline and takes care in considering the unique characteristics of the document's audience and how they are likely to interpret the message. When writers fail in these areas, the consequences can be very serious as demonstrated by General Ambrose Burnside's orders for the Battle of Fredericksburg during the Civil War.
Loges, Max L. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2002). Articles>Management>History>Case Studies
#22519
A collection of dozens of links to online resources about management and project management for prepress.
#22044
Generating a site plan is an optimal approach to starting your site.
Tech-Writer (2001). Design>Web Design>Information Design>Project Management
#21503
A Gentle Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
Object-oriented (OO) programming helps writers and programmers use real-world paradigms. By understanding some basic terminology of OO (classes, instances, and messages), the writer can feel more at ease with OO concepts. A glossary and suggestions for further reading are included.
Chacko, Rajah Y. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Project Management>Programming
#24249
Getting a Count: Recording Metrics in Documentation Plans
Most large documentation departments are already using some kind of a formal documentation project planning strategy. Many are modeled after the work of Dr. JoAnn Hackos, with information plans, content specifications, and/or documentation plans (Hackos, 1994) 1 . By carefully adjusting the look and feel of the planning documents, adding room for recording actual numbers at the completion of the project, managers can implement a metrics strategy that takes advantage of existing templates and piggy-backs on existing archiving and checkout procedures.
Romaine, Garret H. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Documentation>Project Management
#23849
Getting Creative With Specs: Usable Software Specifications
Building architects don’t have to think much about what the actual deliverables are to contractors and their clients, because their industry has traditions and standards for blueprints, balsa wood models, and computer-generated renderings. As user interface consultants, we have to think about this anew for every project.
Krause, Brian R. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Project Management>Standards
#30495
Getting It Together: Creating Procedure Guides for Chapter Officers and Managers
The Rochester Chapter developed a set of Procedure Guides for officers and managers. The project was generated by a need to describe management tasks in order to recruit members for chapter positions, and to aid officers and managers in doing their jobs. This session demonstrates how other chapters can benefit from the Rochester Chapter's experience and develop a set of customized leadership guides.
Doremus, Jean S. and Kathleen B. Aughey. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>TC>STC
#31435
Getting Real Results from Employee Engagement
I remember the day I turned on the car radio and found out that my company was merging with a competitor. Over the coming weeks, every employee made mental and emotional decisions on whether to stay engaged with their work and the company, or to just to show up and collect a paycheck.
Schmidt, Jeff. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Careers>Management>Public Relations>Workplace
#20115
Getting Started in the Expert System Development Game
To dispel some of the myths of Expert Systems and explain their rise as a new documentation tool in the computer industry today, we offer this historical and current market overview.
Lohmann, Joan F., Lory Hawkes, Margot B. Casey and Elinor L. Knodel. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Knowledge Management>Programming
#19825
Getting Started on an Online Project with Cognetics’ Design Methodology
Many electronic documentation projects fail because usability and interface design are not included in the initial project definition and integrated into the process. The Cognetics Design Methodology is an approach to project planning that places the user at the center of the design. Whether you are just getting started on your first project or looking for ways to make your work better, the Cognetics Design Methodology can help you produce high quality work. This workshop will focus on the initial project definition steps, and is intended to give participants practical experience in the difficult task of getting a project off the ground.
Quesenbery, Whitney. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Project Management>Online
