http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Planning A listing of the most recently indexed works about Planning in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Planning http://tc.eserver.org/35335.html http://tc.eserver.org/35335.html A unified content strategy is: a repeatable method of identifying all content requirements up front; creating consistently structured content for reuse; managing that content in a definitive source; assembling content on demand to meet your needs. A unified content model is the framework that supports your strategy. http://tc.eserver.org/35226.html http://tc.eserver.org/35226.html CSS is simple. You assign style primitives to elements and some of those primitives cascade down to the elements contained within. I get it. It’s simple to understand. But CSS is not simple to use or maintain. It’s time for stylesheets to evolve so that we can take web design to the next level. http://tc.eserver.org/35186.html http://tc.eserver.org/35186.html I need to figure out where I am with all the STC stuff going on, and blogging will help my introspection. Also, it will let me share with you some of the background and complexity that surround the current state of affairs with STC. My e-mail tag line reads "Anyone who is sure of the answer doesn't understand the question," and this blog is an invitation to join me in understanding how we got here, where we are, and where I think we need to go. http://tc.eserver.org/35032.html http://tc.eserver.org/35032.html When I parse the comments of technology customers in the midst of long-term vendor relationships, what I hear them asking for is predictability, rather than commercial zest. Sure, they want their suppliers to innovate, but since when is innovation a function of sales and marketing skill? http://tc.eserver.org/35012.html http://tc.eserver.org/35012.html One of DITA’s most attractive features is its support for incremental adoption: you can adopt DITA quickly and easily using a subset of its capabilities, and then add investment over time as your content strategy evolves and expands. However, this incremental continuum has also resulted in confusion, as communities at different stages of adoption claim radically different numbers for cost of migration and return on investment. The DITA Maturity Model addresses this confusion by dividing DITA adoption into six levels, each with its own required investment and associated return on investment. You can assess your own capabilities and goals relative to the model and choose the appropriate initial adoption level for your needs and schedule. http://tc.eserver.org/34890.html http://tc.eserver.org/34890.html When you live in the moment, completing the activity itself is the success. And because writing is so multifaceted in effect — the effect both on me and others — having an open purpose doesn’t limit the results. I’m not narrow-mindedly searching for a specific achievement to happen. Instead, I’m open to unconsidered possibilities, if any of those possibilities decide to unravel. http://tc.eserver.org/34772.html http://tc.eserver.org/34772.html The project milestone sheet is an incredibly important document for freelancers and their clients. It defines all the most important tasks, who is assigned to them, and when they are due. In other words, it serves as the map for your entire work process. http://tc.eserver.org/34639.html http://tc.eserver.org/34639.html Dan Roam explains that drawing pictures can help you solve problems. He says the first rule is to “collect everything possible up front.” After collecting all your information, you then “lay it all out where you can look at it.” By laying out all the information, you can grasp the whole of it, make connections between various parts, see the important sections, and recognize patterns. http://tc.eserver.org/34645.html http://tc.eserver.org/34645.html As a rule of thumb, the earlier in the development process reuse can occur, the more efficient reuse becomes. Like software component reuse, the reuse of UX design elements can be a very efficient form of reuse—particularly because this form of reuse occurs very early in the product development cycle. The ability to reuse prior work effectively is one characteristic of a mature discipline. http://tc.eserver.org/34568.html http://tc.eserver.org/34568.html If we simply look at what's already working well, and why, we can give ourselves two things we desperately need: a starting point for the design, and insight into to how to create better-stronger-faster interactions that are just as easy to use as the old classics. http://tc.eserver.org/34419.html http://tc.eserver.org/34419.html So you have you’re social media strategy, now what? If you’re like most organizations then you can’t roll out a social media campaign in a day, or even in a few weeks. So how do you go about rolling out a social media strategy? My recommendation would be to proceed in phases. What I’m outlining below is a very high level approach to rolling a social media strategy. http://tc.eserver.org/34391.html http://tc.eserver.org/34391.html I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Hoehn from Kodak at Online Marketing Summit - DC last week. Tom has a really cool job at Kodak, where he is director of brand communications and convergence media. http://tc.eserver.org/34344.html http://tc.eserver.org/34344.html In this follow-up piece to her 2004 article, Giammona explores the future of the industry and how technical communicators need to evolve to remain relevant and demonstrate their value. http://tc.eserver.org/34346.html http://tc.eserver.org/34346.html Cooper discusses her unique approach to career planning and longevity: essentially, do what you enjoy doing and find people and companies that interest you. http://tc.eserver.org/34347.html http://tc.eserver.org/34347.html Set aside your job title and current responsibilities when considering a related career field to move into. Ost uses charts and matrices to illustrate how thinking about skills, interests, duties, and other aspects of your professional life can open up a world of opportunities. http://tc.eserver.org/34348.html http://tc.eserver.org/34348.html Looking for a way to demonstrate your value to management? Pao’s advice is to become as involved in your organization as possible by volunteering for assignments and being proactive in project planning. http://tc.eserver.org/34283.html http://tc.eserver.org/34283.html You will not draw any slides—in fact do not even launch PowerPoint—until step eight, 80% of the way through the process. Typically, when you want to create a presentation, you open PowerPoint and start creating slides. Slide one, slide two, … slide seventeen… what I am trying to say again? Am I making my point? http://tc.eserver.org/34094.html http://tc.eserver.org/34094.html In this introductory column, I’ll discuss time management and some ways in which you can use quick-reference sheets and project-management tools to help you maintain some semblance of sanity in your busy life. http://tc.eserver.org/34067.html http://tc.eserver.org/34067.html To keep organized, you don't need a complex system. In fact, as this blog post suggests, managing time and tasks is best done using a simple system. http://tc.eserver.org/34068.html http://tc.eserver.org/34068.html Sixty minutes isn't a lot of time. But if you use those 60 minutes wisely, you can get a lot of writing done. http://tc.eserver.org/34045.html http://tc.eserver.org/34045.html Realizing that technology adoption is as much a sociological phenomenon as a technological one is key to identifing which technologies are appropriate for use in your shop. The "publicity velocity" a new technology attains is based on sociological factors: it is not a technical judgement. The self-interest of the industry trade press, industry analysts, vendors, and computer science researchers all intersect to create an intense publicity vector for a technology at a certain time in its life cycle. While ultimately any technology faces the test of its usefulness, this does not usually occur until sometime after the hype phase dies down, and real-world IS gains experience with the technology. Knowing when a technology has passed from the hype phase into real IS usage is essential to judging the viability of the technology for your installation. As technologists, those of us in IS are sometimes prone to overly-simple technology assessments, ignoring the sociological context of our decision-making. Being aware of the sociological nature of the technology acceptance is crucial to understanding which technologies succeed in the marketplace, and why. http://tc.eserver.org/34036.html http://tc.eserver.org/34036.html XML, that is, Extended Markup Language, is the future of technical writing. There are TWO important reasons why that is so: XML is at the heart of “single sourcing” movement; and XML is a documentation manager’s dream since writing once and publishing many times drops unit production costs tremendously. http://tc.eserver.org/33903.html http://tc.eserver.org/33903.html Discusses how XML is changing the definition of 'Information Management' and the challenges associated with this change. XML provides endless opportunities when it comes to solving complex data issues companies face today from data integration to implementation of Service Oriented Architectures(SOA). Companies that choose to exploit the advantages of XML will undoubtly gain an edge over their competitors but will also be required to solve the challenges around how to best manage and service XML data without compromising data security and integrity. http://tc.eserver.org/33342.html http://tc.eserver.org/33342.html Most clients are good clients, and some clients are great clients. But some jobs are just never going to work out well. Herewith, a few indicators that a project may be headed to the toilet. http://tc.eserver.org/33351.html http://tc.eserver.org/33351.html Argues that we should focus our design and architectural efforts on the few options that provide the greatest benefit. http://tc.eserver.org/33361.html http://tc.eserver.org/33361.html All the books tell me to set goals for my site. OK. They say that those goals need to be measurable and definite. Fine. But asking my client, “What are the site’s goals?” never seemed to get me what I wanted. It occurred to me that a better approach might be to get some background info from the client and then set the goals and present them to the client for approval. http://tc.eserver.org/33341.html http://tc.eserver.org/33341.html A look at how two technical communicators plan and prepare presentations. http://tc.eserver.org/33312.html http://tc.eserver.org/33312.html Looking for another way of realizing your design deliverables? XHTML are easy to code, can double as specifications, and create constraints that increase design effectiveness. http://tc.eserver.org/33279.html http://tc.eserver.org/33279.html Websites change the way an organization communicates with its staff, customers, investors and general public. A change in communication is a major shift for the organization. To effectively implement such a change will take time. You need a five-year plan for your website. http://tc.eserver.org/32310.html http://tc.eserver.org/32310.html This paper examines emerging trends in the information industry that are likely to be of interest to information professionals during 2008. These include web 2.0, enterprise 2.0, social networking, semantic web, risk management, user-generated content, universal search, crowdsourcing and new roles for information professionals. http://tc.eserver.org/32314.html http://tc.eserver.org/32314.html In a world where organizations are increasingly adopting Enterprise 2.0 technology what, if any, will be the role of the information intermediary? Where can information intermediaries add value in their organizations and how can they ride and harness the wave of new technologies that spring up on a seemingly daily basis? Is this a period of boom or bust? http://tc.eserver.org/32244.html http://tc.eserver.org/32244.html This article takes a high-level look at project requirements and the requirements cycle to help you understand the role of the business analyst in requirements planning. http://tc.eserver.org/31849.html http://tc.eserver.org/31849.html With more and more companies adopting the Darwin Information Typing Architecture, Baril discusses how to choose a compatible content management system that also supports your company's processes. http://tc.eserver.org/31772.html http://tc.eserver.org/31772.html In an interview, you want to find out about the position and the environment, give job-related information about yourself, and leave a good impression, all while being relaxed. That’s a tall order for anyone, so we hope our advice and anecdotes will help you survive—or even thrive—in an interview. http://tc.eserver.org/31745.html http://tc.eserver.org/31745.html 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? http://tc.eserver.org/31725.html http://tc.eserver.org/31725.html All too often, companies either rely upon personal knowledge and skill to recover from emergency situations, or they write a multi-volume encyclopedia of recovery procedures. When disaster strikes, neither approach lends itself to rapid response. http://tc.eserver.org/31629.html http://tc.eserver.org/31629.html Suppliers sell. Customers buy. Various people discuss UX, but don’t really identify what it is. Agencies search for ways to offer this line of work to clients and seek best practises to develop UX. Holger Maassen posits his ideas about the process of planning and designing for User Experience Design-Planning (UXD-P) as Expectation Design. http://tc.eserver.org/31598.html http://tc.eserver.org/31598.html I’ve found that separating client requests into content units removes uncertainty and offers clearer direction, while helping your client recognize each individual request as a deliverable, requiring assignments and responsibilities. To do this, I follow a four-step process that helps delineate what content units each section of a Web site must cover—as opposed to content that acts as filler, or filler units. http://tc.eserver.org/31293.html http://tc.eserver.org/31293.html In today's competitive environment the event remains one of the most powerful tools available to communicators. Events are powerful because they provide a physical connection between you and the people you need to reach. You can use an event to raise awareness of your services or products, generate support for a cause or introduce employees to work practices. http://tc.eserver.org/31305.html http://tc.eserver.org/31305.html I once had a client, who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, who called me one fateful day with some bad news. There had been a terrible clerical error. The US$300,000 marketing communication budget, which had taken weeks and months of planning to produce, had been submitted as a US$30,000 budget. It had been accepted as a US$30,000 budget. Someone had dropped a zero along the way, and it had been set in stone. http://tc.eserver.org/30623.html http://tc.eserver.org/30623.html It's a classic chicken-and-egg struggle. Many information developers wait for management go-ahead before conducting usability studies. Management, on the otherhand, is sometimes reluctant to support usability work. http://tc.eserver.org/30602.html http://tc.eserver.org/30602.html Different types of usability tests can be performed at different phases in the product development cycle for different reasons. Writers can plan and implement a usability test and then incorporate recommendations into their documentation, thereby improving its usability. You can improve the usability of your documentation by performing one or more types of usability tests, no matter the size of the product or the time frame involved. http://tc.eserver.org/30533.html http://tc.eserver.org/30533.html A publications needs assessment is a way to identify and analyze documentation and publishing needs for a project, group or company. The technical communicator can use these assessments to ensure that the proper documentation and publishing services are provided. This paper describes a four step approach to performing publications needs assessments. http://tc.eserver.org/30429.html http://tc.eserver.org/30429.html This workshop will help managers develop a department mission statement, define long-term objectives, and develop a set of goals that define what needs to be done to meet the objectives. http://tc.eserver.org/30381.html http://tc.eserver.org/30381.html When faced with an online or printed documentation project, many writers don't know where to start. On one hand, a large amount of information is waiting to be delivered to the customer. On the other hand, a number of important questions seem to require immediate answers. What development tools should the writer use? What are the advantages/constraints of the development tools? What delivery environments are going to be available? In reality, it's too early to answer these questions. Instead of making decisions about tools and environments, the writer needs to concentrate on the information that needs to be communicated and organize it for online presentation. What the writer needs is a methodology that makes it easy to visualize the information. If the information presentation is not visualized in a clear and logical fashion, the documentation product is not going to be a success, no matter how sophisticated the development tool and delivery media. http://tc.eserver.org/30353.html http://tc.eserver.org/30353.html How to tie down the details of a project and protect yourself from unexpected changes that can drag a 'peach project' into the 'pits of despair and financial ruin.' http://tc.eserver.org/30314.html http://tc.eserver.org/30314.html On projects for which you must produce both on-line and paper documentation, there are many things you should consider before you start. http://tc.eserver.org/30262.html http://tc.eserver.org/30262.html Professional business writers, such as technical authors, typically break a document down into small, discrete units of information, organised around a skeleton of topic headings. If you use this 'component' or 'modular' approach, you can plan and structure the document using the heading 'labels' that describe each section. http://tc.eserver.org/30252.html http://tc.eserver.org/30252.html Two seasoned technical communicators discuss the elements of 'growing their jobs,' using successes and lessons learned to offer practical suggestions for getting in, moving up, and staying put if the company downsizes. http://tc.eserver.org/30240.html http://tc.eserver.org/30240.html This workshop uses games to provide an overview of strategic planning. The first step in strategic planning is identifying the objectives of your project. Participants play a version of musical chairs to identify and prioritize objectives. The second step is developing a vision of meeting those objectives. Participants play a version of darts. The third step is building the plan that fulfills the vision. Participants play a board game to create the best plan with limited resources. http://tc.eserver.org/30204.html http://tc.eserver.org/30204.html Making your objectives specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based not only focuses the attention of the organization on high priority activities, but it also creates metrics that can be measured and monitored in order to see how well the organization is performing. http://tc.eserver.org/30195.html http://tc.eserver.org/30195.html Computing the net present value (NPV) lets you estimate the most profitable level of usability investment. For big projects, expensive usability can pay off. http://tc.eserver.org/30172.html http://tc.eserver.org/30172.html Strategic planning, the process of determining where you intend to be and how you're going to get there, is essential to the success of any organization. But our assessment of the information development community indicates that the majority of organizations do little or no strategic planning. One reason is that their leaders often don't know what strategic planning is, why it's important, or how to do it. http://tc.eserver.org/30147.html http://tc.eserver.org/30147.html Our roles as technical communicators are often dictated to us by other people. Clients come to us after their product has already been developed, saying, 'I need a manual,' or 'I've written the necessary procedures--just make them look nice. ' It's easy to fall into the trap of just doing what we're told when we're told to do it. http://tc.eserver.org/29905.html http://tc.eserver.org/29905.html Defining usability requirements at the beginning of the project increases the chances that the end product will meet the users' goals and create a satisfying user experience. Unfortunately, such requirements are often not considered with the same priority as functional or other technical requirements. This presentation defines usability requirements, proposes guidelines for creating measurable requirements, and elaborates the components of a well-constructed usability requirement. http://tc.eserver.org/29909.html http://tc.eserver.org/29909.html Many technical communicators and managers find themselves in organizations that have undergone significant reorganization, acquisitions, or mergers. Many of us also work in teams that are distributed worldwide. In such a dynamic, fast-paced environment, we found the SWOT analysis to be a simple, cost-effective tool for gaining insight into the workings of our organization. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Whether you are a manager, an individual contributor, or someone who wants to improve how your company’s Tech Pubs organization works, you can use SWOT analysis for organizational planning. http://tc.eserver.org/29817.html http://tc.eserver.org/29817.html Companies would often hire new outside firms to create and execute these new designs, abandoning the firm that made the previous design. The new firms would try to top the existing design with something dramatically different and attention-grabbing. After all, if you can't notice any change, why did it cost so much? http://tc.eserver.org/29812.html http://tc.eserver.org/29812.html Teams who focus on the long term are far more likely to create designs that really pay off for the organization. Short-term thinking gets the design done, but the team ends up doing it all over again months down the road. Long-term thinking deals with the inevitability of changes and turns the site into a living, breathing entity that grows with the organization's needs. http://tc.eserver.org/29421.html http://tc.eserver.org/29421.html Sure, the economy's booming now, but as the Asian crisis becomes the North American crisis, it pays to remember Newton's famous law of gravity: what goes up must come down again. And, of course, when the economy comes down and pension fund managers start asking those awkward questions about why they should remain invested in your company's stock, managers have a lemming-like tendency to trim staff to make room for short-term profits and long-term plausible deniability. As a technical communicator, you're obviously well up on the hit list, which some might see as a bad thing--but there's a silver lining to every cloud (or, in our case, a copper lining; they don't pay us well enough for silver). In fact, the good news is that it's easy to ensure you're the first one fired, so you can leave before the job becomes mundane without looking like a quitter. Then there are all those perquisites (severance pay, a little downtime)... http://tc.eserver.org/29434.html http://tc.eserver.org/29434.html Acting without planning can be expensive, and because of the potential cost of poorly thought-out actions, we should not only plan, but plan twice. http://tc.eserver.org/29305.html http://tc.eserver.org/29305.html Innovation is more often than not the result of many pieces of valuable information such as general observations both conscious and subconscious, media influences, interactions, discussions as well as a mix of intuition and common sense. http://tc.eserver.org/28848.html http://tc.eserver.org/28848.html Development and maintenance of a good Web site implies many consecutive steps involving various actors. These actors all have their own objectives and understanding of the process, but all are supposedly commited to the same overall goal: building the best possible Web site given the set of constraints. http://tc.eserver.org/28779.html http://tc.eserver.org/28779.html Shares some trends in the technical communication industry, arguing that writers need to become hyphenated to move forward and be successful in the future. Molisani owns a technical writing staffing company and also produces the Lavacon conference, which is in New Orleans this year, but is traditionally in Hawaii. He says users aren't concerned about polished language these days; they just want accurate, relevant content. http://tc.eserver.org/28710.html http://tc.eserver.org/28710.html As interfaces become ever more complex and development schedules seem to get shorter and shorter, you may find it useful to give up your user-interface modeling software for awhile in favor of something simpler. All you need is paper, pens, scissors, and your imagination. http://tc.eserver.org/28711.html http://tc.eserver.org/28711.html You need to make a set of web design mockups for your client. You'd like to find an easy way to show these mockups in clean XHTML and CSS code, because plain JPGs don't convey the full sense of the design, and sliced tables are evil. In fact, let's forget table slices ever existed. This article is for people who need to produce valid, standards-compliant mockups quickly, with the graphics tools they already use. http://tc.eserver.org/28655.html http://tc.eserver.org/28655.html Perspectives on the role UX professionals will play in the future and a few forward-looking predictions about the field of user experience. http://tc.eserver.org/28657.html http://tc.eserver.org/28657.html Wireframes can comprise many different patterns, each of which is a discrete element that provides specific functionality and may include instructive copy, images, text fields, buttons, links, etcetera. Together, the patterns create a complete Web page. Of course, when wireframing in patterns, it always helps if there is a pre-existing library of patterns to draw from, but I have found that getting through the first wireframe reveals most of the reusable patterns. http://tc.eserver.org/28641.html http://tc.eserver.org/28641.html A design pattern is a proven design solution to a common design problem documented in a standard format. http://tc.eserver.org/28426.html http://tc.eserver.org/28426.html I believe that the best way to design web sites is to bear in mind the goals of the site and its users. http://tc.eserver.org/28427.html http://tc.eserver.org/28427.html You are on this web site because you have a goal. You may be in the process of designing or updating a web site. You may be developing your professional skills. Either way, there is some state that you wish to reach. http://tc.eserver.org/28428.html http://tc.eserver.org/28428.html If you already have a web site, or you have a site project in mind, what needs does it fulfil? How many different needs are there? How strong are they? Your job as a web site designer is to craft a solution that meets all the most important needs. http://tc.eserver.org/28430.html http://tc.eserver.org/28430.html Of course, the ideal solution is a win-win, where you achieve your goal at the same time as enabling your visitors to reach theirs. This section of the site introduces some tools to help find win-win situations. http://tc.eserver.org/28192.html http://tc.eserver.org/28192.html Now that the World Wide Web is an established means of business communication and the technology has evolved with it, site designs are looking slicker than ever. You may find that your own website--homegrown or corporate--could use a 'facelift.' But facelifts don't always have to involve the newest technology; sometimes the extra stuff that the techies love actually interferes with good design. Remember the animated Flash intros that so many sites pushed on you upon first visit? It's impressive the first time you see it... and really annoying after a couple of viewings, especially when all you wanted to do was get some information and get out. http://tc.eserver.org/28105.html http://tc.eserver.org/28105.html When it comes to their future, however, some professionals seem willing to take drastic risks. Oddly enough, some technical communicators spend more time thinking about the pros and cons of the serial comma than they do about their own careers. When we fail to engage in a passionate pursuit of information about the trends in our industry, we bury our heads in the sand and blindly roll the dice regarding our future prosperity. http://tc.eserver.org/27972.html http://tc.eserver.org/27972.html As designers, we all face the inevitable slump. That point where our creativity stagnates and we find ourselves at a dead end. Walter Stevenson offers suggestions on staying productive and creative. http://tc.eserver.org/27548.html http://tc.eserver.org/27548.html Constantly stressed out? Not enough hours in the day to get things done? Ryan Carson has a theory: your problem is too much work time, not too little. http://tc.eserver.org/26833.html http://tc.eserver.org/26833.html User and usability requirements should be well-defined and integrated into relevant product requirements specification. The purposes of usability methods at this stage are to collect information about the user interface, users, tasks and environments, and to agree what aspects should be formalised as requirements. http://tc.eserver.org/26689.html http://tc.eserver.org/26689.html Argues that technical communicators need to evaluate our dependence on electricity so that we are prepared for the possibility of a future without traditional sources of electricity. In order to evaluate our energy dependence, we need to consider the sustainability of new technologies before introducing them to our society. http://tc.eserver.org/26422.html http://tc.eserver.org/26422.html Building larger networks implies higher infrastructure and maintenance costs, and increased sophistication. Any additions or modifications to a large operational network necessitate a plan, which should be devised after understanding existing weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and identifying current and future needs. This article will introduce the fundamental concepts of network resource planning (NRP), a methodology used to design, upgrade, and expand computer communication networks, and will focus on how such a methodology can be applied in enterprise networks. http://tc.eserver.org/26406.html http://tc.eserver.org/26406.html When we consider the right questions to ask in usability, we first think of the questions we should ask our users and stakeholders. This line of questioning is a necessary part of our jobs. However, I have seen few articles outside of the ROI of usability discussions where usability professionals ask questions about the usability of our own processes and approaches. http://tc.eserver.org/25027.html http://tc.eserver.org/25027.html Technical communicators with less than 3 years of experience face a special challenge: not only must they continue to assimilate technological change at a dizzying rate, but they must begin to effectively chart a course towards professional growth. Having established (or having faith in) their ability to survive in the profession, new and intermediate writers, editors, and illustrators must move beyond survival and begin to pursue success. This 90-minute workshop is based on the premise that it’s not enough to be a good writer with a strong technical background. You must posses multi-disciplinary skills to excel as a technical communicator and as a business person focused on the value you bring to your company. http://tc.eserver.org/25012.html http://tc.eserver.org/25012.html Today, multimedia has become a popular way to present information. Many times it increases the effectiveness of the message. Many aspects of the message and its target audience need to be examined to determine if multimedia is the best media. If it is, planning becomes crucial in the process of developing a multimedia project. http://tc.eserver.org/24945.html http://tc.eserver.org/24945.html We as Technical Communicators must take more control over our careers. This session provides a quiz to rate career management progress and then offers practical suggestions, specifically for to the Technical Communicator to manage a career effectively. Topics such as career plans, networking, increasing professional visibility and contact tracking tools are discussed. Activity includes writing a career plan. http://tc.eserver.org/24868.html http://tc.eserver.org/24868.html This workshop uses games to provide an overview of strategic planning. The first step in strategic planning is identifying the objectives of your organization. Participants play a version of musical chairs to identify and prioritize the objectives of STC. The second step is developing a vision ofyour organization meeting its goals. Participants play a version of darts as they develop a picture of STC fulfilling its objectives. The third step is building the plan that will fulfill the vision. Participants play a board game whose object is to create the best plan with limited resources. http://tc.eserver.org/24800.html http://tc.eserver.org/24800.html This panel presents our experience in starting and sustaining usability activities in different size companies. Some of these activities include educating others about usability, performing task analysis, testing prototypes of new user interfaces, writing usability specifications, and conducting both formal and informal usability tests. We will answer common questions about starting a usability program. http://tc.eserver.org/24409.html http://tc.eserver.org/24409.html As we face an uncertain tomorrow full of challenges for our profession and our world, we should consider what ways to identify opportunities, what emerging trends will affect global businesses, and what new skills must be learned to make us more effective in a brave new world set spiraling in response to technological breakthroughs. Our theme, 'Imagination, Innovation, Communication,' captures the essence of what we do: transform ideas and innovations into a myriad of communication possibilities from technical manuals to virtual Web sites. The theme suggests a successful process with you at the center as an information juggernaut who must make critical choices as you approach a new millennium. http://tc.eserver.org/24312.html http://tc.eserver.org/24312.html Organizations are changing their model of employment. The current trend is toward one comprised of a small, highly leveraged, multi-skilled internal staff complemented by an external staff of independent contractors. The Information Age is in its twilight, giving rise to the Age of Knowledge. The Internet has made us all members of a potential virtual workplace, and Web careers abound for technical writers. http://tc.eserver.org/24303.html http://tc.eserver.org/24303.html Strategic planning, the process of determining where you intend to be and how you’re going to get there, is absolutely essential to the success of any organization. But our assessment of the information development community indicates that the majority of organizations, whether operating as standalone businesses or as internal functions within larger companies, do little or no strategic planning. One of the main reasons is that they don’t know what strategic planning is, why it’s important, or how to do it. http://tc.eserver.org/24180.html http://tc.eserver.org/24180.html Developing a business plan—without it, your independent practice will flounder. http://tc.eserver.org/23993.html http://tc.eserver.org/23993.html By anticipating failures, and designing backup plans, you can minimize the impact of unexpected problems on the user. http://tc.eserver.org/23863.html http://tc.eserver.org/23863.html A common theme in most stories is that introducing usability into a company, or even just into your own technical communication work, is often a long-term effort. In my own experience, my first effort to introduce usability at my then employer took almost two years to move from a few isolated activities and providing occasional design advice to interface developers into a fully recognized user interface design role. http://tc.eserver.org/23700.html http://tc.eserver.org/23700.html About 50 NY Metro chapter members and friends gathered at the Parsippany Hilton on Thursday, April 11, to glimpse the immediate future in the world of Web development and online help. The result was a lively meeting with five simultaneous conversations on different aspects of help. http://tc.eserver.org/23684.html http://tc.eserver.org/23684.html We've been living in 'interesting' times, as the saying goes, and many of us feel that we've had about as much interest as we can tolerate, thank you very much. Chapter meeting attendance has been down and the popularity of technical presentations has decreased, while the popularity of career cafes and career management days has increased. In any conversation between three technical communicators, at least one is unemployed, about to be unemployed, or thinking about a career change. http://tc.eserver.org/23657.html http://tc.eserver.org/23657.html Recent fluctuations in the technical communication job market prompted this examination of trends that are likely to affect our careers. STC and other professional organizations’ publications describe how we can increase the value of our profession by embracing new skills and new technologies, but they rarely examine the larger environment in which these skills and technologies might be applied. For that, the researchers examined futurist publications and more general news sources. As well, they continue to survey technical communication professionals about their past, present, and future work. This paper reveals the initial findings of the research. http://tc.eserver.org/23673.html http://tc.eserver.org/23673.html because technical information is ever changing, we accept the fact that our work will be continually various, constantly in flux. It's just the nature of the beast. This is the essence of the purpose of the STC national organization's transformation initiative: Keeping up with the changing times. http://tc.eserver.org/23639.html http://tc.eserver.org/23639.html The future of technical communication is about generating and implementing new ideas so that your team can change with the times. Other fields are vying for some of the same jobs in an organization that we are capable of performing. If managers do not take time to stay abreast of these changes nor tap into the minds on their team that are generating ideas about how to morph into different realms, then our profession is at a disadvantage to those in related fields who are drafting proposals for new jobs or innovative projects. This paper presents six tips for managers on creating an idea culture. It also argues why it is essential for managers to start their team's idea culture as soon as possible. http://tc.eserver.org/23620.html http://tc.eserver.org/23620.html The ideas presented in this paper reflect my 25 years of observations and work experience, and recent period of unemployment in 2002. These ideas apply most appropriately to the software, high tech, and telecom industries, but could easily apply to other industries, academia, government, or non-profit organizations. http://tc.eserver.org/23613.html http://tc.eserver.org/23613.html To attain your career goals, you cannot simply go to work and perform the assigned projects, allowing your manager direct your professional path for you. You must treat your working life much like you treat a documentation project and be deliberate. Take charge of your progress by volunteering to complete projects that challenge and advance your capabilities. Plan and prepare for challenging opportunities that provide you with new work experiences; identify and execute tasks that advance your skills, knowledge, and abilities; and evaluate your career development, results, and your accomplishments with each enterprise you complete. http://tc.eserver.org/23593.html http://tc.eserver.org/23593.html Successful Web site design is accomplished by a team of professionals who: Define the business requirements for the site; Analyze the audiences; Collect content; Organize the site information; Develop a concept; Define the navigation system; Define the labeling system; Create blueprints and wire frames; Test the models; Create content maps. The matching of business needs to user needs should be your ultimate definition of a successful site. http://tc.eserver.org/23569.html http://tc.eserver.org/23569.html STC's best opportunity for growth is to lead its members and the industry into the future by focusing on emerging disciplines and growing opportunities within technical communication. STC must ensure that the needs of its core writer/editor base are met at the same time. http://tc.eserver.org/23550.html http://tc.eserver.org/23550.html Understanding organizational behavior and using creative problem solving are as much a part of being a technical communicator as is expertly applying the English language. Recognizing this, the authors-two senior technical communicators—have identified several typical, but not predictable, organizational problems that involve technical communicators. Solutions will be provided when the paper is presented at the conference. http://tc.eserver.org/23551.html http://tc.eserver.org/23551.html It is generally true that as large technical training and documentation projects evolve they place new and greater demands on existing resources. Although the intensity of the demand varies, it can usually be attributed to changes in the software application, to the addition of new learner groups, to the compression of existing schedules, and to the need for new training and documentation solutions. As projects become more demanding, resource allocation challenges become more sophisticated. Managers who bring big projects in within budget and on time, do so became they are able to allocate resources in creative, efficient, and effective ways. http://tc.eserver.org/23541.html http://tc.eserver.org/23541.html Professionals do not have to leave career progression to fate. Chart a career course that will bring personal achievement and satisfaction. A five-year career plan is a road map that allows for progress tracking, and development of solutions or alternate courses of action. Develop this action plan through self-assessment, and examination of the present and future. Consider several factors during career plan development and update the plan on a yearly basis. Use the written plan as a career guide and self-evaluation tool. http://tc.eserver.org/23571.html http://tc.eserver.org/23571.html This update shares the organizational model developed in five key areas to determine what the 'ideal state' of STC might look like in the future. http://tc.eserver.org/23560.html http://tc.eserver.org/23560.html The Transformation Team consists of STC board members and a number of chapter and SIG leaders. The team was formed in response to concerns heard over the past several years from many of you. Some of these concerns have arisen from changes in the business world, such as globalization and the downturn in the economy. http://tc.eserver.org/23561.html http://tc.eserver.org/23561.html Over the years, the technical communication profession has changed: Our jobs and roles have changed. Business and economic models are changing. Technology has changed the way we work and communicate. Our world has become global. Now STC will change. http://tc.eserver.org/23568.html http://tc.eserver.org/23568.html Describes the transformation methodology the STC Transformation Team has developed and its guiding principles. http://tc.eserver.org/23559.html http://tc.eserver.org/23559.html Why does STC need to transform, because we want to add more member value! http://tc.eserver.org/23570.html http://tc.eserver.org/23570.html STC will be a vital, growing, and global 'community of communities' involved with the communication of technical information and the use of technology to communicate information. http://tc.eserver.org/23002.html http://tc.eserver.org/23002.html An on-site training requires a lot of logistical planning. If you are hosting or providing the training yourself, then you have the ability to control many of these logistics. If another party is hosting your training, you must communicate with the host to ensure that everything is in place to allow the training to occur effectively. Begin planning for your training as far in advance as possible. Trainings that are organized and thrown together at the last minute are rarely successful. http://tc.eserver.org/22683.html http://tc.eserver.org/22683.html Good sites don't start in a web creation program, they start in your head. Before you even touch your web software, you need to get in touch with the reasons why you want to build a site and what you want it to accomplish. http://tc.eserver.org/22043.html http://tc.eserver.org/22043.html What's the 'mission' of your site? This is the first and, perhaps, most important question to answer before you embark on developing your site. http://tc.eserver.org/21749.html http://tc.eserver.org/21749.html A few years ago, a manager of mine gave me the assignment to work on a five-year career plan. I had never created a career plan before (not even to plot out goals for the coming year), so I was completely unprepared for how and why I should do this. http://tc.eserver.org/21681.html http://tc.eserver.org/21681.html You need to anticipate the lifecycle of technical publications in advance so that all areas related to the final delivery are covered. These include issues such as costs, production, dissemination and archiving. http://tc.eserver.org/21484.html http://tc.eserver.org/21484.html This panel will introduce the audience to the basic concepts and components of strategic thinking and planning and will provide practical examples of application in a variety of information-development organizations. http://tc.eserver.org/21212.html http://tc.eserver.org/21212.html Strategic plans are at the heart of successful organizations. This is also true for such organizations as STC chapters. In this article the authors discuss the processes used by members of the Rochester Chapter and the results achieved, when the chapter developed its first strategic plan in 1994. http://tc.eserver.org/21035.html http://tc.eserver.org/21035.html Describes how to create an effective plan and estimate for usability activities. 'A plan and an estimate,' McDaniel writes, 'will go a long way toward persuading management that user-centered design is a desirable approach to building a user interface.' http://tc.eserver.org/20758.html http://tc.eserver.org/20758.html A business plan describes your business’s future, including your vision for your organization, your competition, your products and services, markets you’ll compete in, how you’ll sell yourself, and your financial prospective. A successful plan conveys an organization’s exciting prospects and growth potential. Its overall purpose is to “sell” the business to management and possible backers. http://tc.eserver.org/20737.html http://tc.eserver.org/20737.html Taxonomies are structures that provide a way of classifying things -- living organisms, products, books -- into a series of hierarchical groups to make them easier to identify, study, or locate. Taxonomies consist of two parts -- structures and applications. Structures consist of the categories (or terms) themselves and the relationships that link them together. Applications are the navigation tools available to help users find information. http://tc.eserver.org/20723.html http://tc.eserver.org/20723.html Strategic planning, the process of determining where you intend to be and how you’re going to get there, is absolutely essential to the success of any organization. But our assessment of the information development community indicates that the majority of organizations, whether operating as standalone businesses or as internal functions within larger companies, do little or no strategic planning. One of the main reasons is that they don’t know what strategic planning is, why it’s important, or how to do it. http://tc.eserver.org/20567.html http://tc.eserver.org/20567.html Before you start developing a Flash animation, it is a good practice to write out a plan of action. The reason is that any type of software development can be complex. Good planning helps to avoid mistakes that may be difficult to find and fix. http://tc.eserver.org/20498.html http://tc.eserver.org/20498.html A business plan is a document used to start a new business or get funding for a business that is changing in some significant way. Business plans are important documents for business partners who need to agree upon and document their plans, government officials who may need to approve aspects of the plan, and of course potential investors such as banks or private individuals who may decide to fund the business or its expansion. http://tc.eserver.org/20357.html http://tc.eserver.org/20357.html Gattis should be applauded for finding cognitive theories that might be of use to the field, for describing them well with current resources, and for applying them to technical communication with an example. The two theories, however, are too intuitive to provide much value for describing existing behavior or for novices to use as tools. http://tc.eserver.org/20356.html http://tc.eserver.org/20356.html Two complementary cognitive theories help to explain how novice technical communicators learn effective search methods: information foraging theory, a model of information-seeking behavior that combines human-computer interaction with anthropological constructs; and strategic planning theory, a communication model of how humans plan and achieve social goals. The paper includes an extended example of how a new communicator might learn to use both models on the job. http://tc.eserver.org/20358.html http://tc.eserver.org/20358.html Information foraging theory and strategic planning theory can help technical communicators think about effective research methods. A broader understanding of social theory can complement Gattis's approach by adding considerations related to underlying ideological assumptions and to how research practices are situated in the larger contexts of organizations, communities, and cultures. http://tc.eserver.org/20153.html http://tc.eserver.org/20153.html Small companies ask writers to handle an incredible range of tasks, requiring writers to dynamically manage their work load. This paper reviews scheduling guidelines and tips for survival and success. http://tc.eserver.org/20104.html http://tc.eserver.org/20104.html There are specific things you can do to organize your professional life. Organization starts with planning. Maintain a “to do” list and a calendar, plan your day accordingly, and follow through on those plans. Allow time to deal with occurrences that are beyond your control. Do what you can to minimize interruptions. Limit physical clutter by either throwing things away or putting them away. Reduce mental clutter by forgetting about what you don’t need to deal with right away. Remember that you can control your time and your life. http://tc.eserver.org/20108.html http://tc.eserver.org/20108.html Project management is an increasingly important skill for technical communicators. Specifically, by accurately estimating and tracking projects we can help justify resources, identify areas to improve cycle times, or even justify the existence of jobs. Estimating projects occurs early in the process during the analyze and plan phases. It improves with practice. Tracking is done throughout the entire process, although a majority of the data are gathered during the development phase. Successful estimating and tracking includes these elements: identifying estimating metrics, projecting project life cycle costs and hours, recording actual hours and costs, comparing estimates to actuals, and documenting improvements based on experience.