Addressing Quality in the Real World  

Members of the STC Quality Special Interest Group (SIG) present a realistic look at Quality in today’s hectic business climate. Based on their experiences, you will gain insight into ways to improve documentation quality, establish processes to assist the improvement, and an understanding how outside forces can impact your documentation efforts. They will look at what is meant by quality, how it’s determined and measured; processes, techniques and basic tools that can be used to improve quality; and the impact of international standards on corporate policies and procedures. A case study will highlight some of the barriers, problems, and successes experienced by an organization in implementing a quality system for monitoring its documentation.

Jong, Steven F., Don Lenk, Amy Perry, Ralph E. Robinson and Roberta A. Rupel. STC Proceedings (2000). Articles>TC>Quality

Analysis and Resolution of Problems Occurring During the Production of Manuals  

We produce numerous manuals pertaining to telecommunications and, although we routinely devote much energy to reducing the number of problems occurring during the production process, this time we took up the challenge of eliminating the occurrence of problems altogether. Here, we overview the characterisitics of problems occurring at the company, profile their occurrence by process, and review a few corrective measures.

Konno, Toshiaki, Masanori Takagi and Osamu Tomooka. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Quality

The Basics of Quality

Can elements of the ISO 9000 standard help us improve the quality of the documents we write?

STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Quality>Standards>ISO 9000

The Basics of Quality  

With constantly changing deadlines and last minute major revisions, how can technical writers ever hope to create quality documents? Members of the STC Quality Special Interest Group (SIG) will present some basic concepts that will provide insights into ways you can improve the quality of your documentation. They will look at what is meant by 'quality documentation', how documentation quality can be measured, how quality can be implemented in documentation processes, how ISO 9000 requirements can be adapted to help improve the documentation process, and how the relationship between developers and writers can impact documentation quality.

Rupel, Roberta A., Lori H. Fisher, Donald S. Lenk, Ralph E. Robinson and Richard Colvin. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Writing>Quality>Technical Writing

The Basics of Quality: Quality and the Writer-Developer Relationship

To bring high-quality communication to the process to improve the quality of the products we produce.

Colvin, Richard D. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Quality

Building Quality to Your Documentation  

The only way to ensure quality is to build the quality awareness into every aspect of your life and work. This paper tries to combine the two methods of ensuring quality: with the right process and with the right measurement.

Vatovec, Bogo. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Quality

Cheating the Quality Triangle  

Hart discusses ways that technical communicators can simultaneously improve the quality of their documentation, increase the speed with which it is produced, and lessen the costs of producing it.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Documentation>Quality

Controlling Quality, Controlling Costs  

By developing a strategic plan, finding out if we are producing the right learning products in the most efficient way, and changing to a minimalist document design, we can meet the challenges of the present business environment. Since many of us are now expected to produce more with less while maintaining or improving the quality of the products we produce, we need to manage our function better. By following the suggestions in this paper, you will be able to: communicate the importance of your function; get control of your function; demonstrate how you add value to your companies' products.

Mattingly, William A. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Quality>Assessment

The Cost of Poor Writing

Research on the state of corporate writing and its impact on organisational health has revealed that the quality of writing is in bad shape, and that this matters a lot.

Clear Writing Services. Articles>Writing>Quality

The Cost of Reading

On average two thirds of employees spend approximately 80% of their time writing emails and other documents at work.

Clear Writing Services. Articles>Writing>Quality

Customer Service IS a Profit Center

If you provide after the sale customer service reluctantly, or delegate it to outsourced, but cheaper, providers, you're making a huge mistake. Customer service generates revenue via word of mouth, cross-sell and up-sell opportunities, and repeat purchases by satisfied customers.

Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Quality>Marketing

Distributed or Centralized: How to Maintain Quality When They Keep Reorganizing Your Organization  

Is there a 'best' way to organize technical publications? One central organization? Many small organizations per business unit? Communicators distributed through the development teams? Discuss the pros and cons of organizational structure and its relationship to quality.

Hackos, JoAnn T. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Writing>Quality>Technical Writing

Do the Right Project!  

Offers an approach to achieving 'Quality of Service' that emphasizes the importance of understanding your customer's business problems, soliciting active customer involvement, and employing prototyping techniques to create cost-effective solutions. A new definition of quality has also emerged.

Zwaska, Bob. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Business Communication>Quality

Documentation Quality Metrics Within Total Quality Management Systems  

Total Quality Management (TQM), is now very much a feature of many organizations. One of the kernels of TQM is the process, with its related topics such as process design, process management and process improvement. One of the key requirements for process design and management is process measurements, often called 'metrics'. Within the document design and development process, process metrics, including quality metrics, must be based very strongly on customer values for documentation. Quality metrics can form one element within a composite customer satisfaction index for documentation projects.

Hosier, William J. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Quality

Eight Issues to Consider When Developing Metrics for Your Technical Communication Group

Wondering how you can assess the effectiveness and productivity of your work? Admittedly, it’s not easy and there are no simple approaches. But it can be done. As you develop a program, consider these issues, which arose from a review of literature on the metrics used to assess the productivity and effectiveness of software engineering, training, marketing communications, and technical communication.

Carliner, Saul. STC Quality SIG (2003). Articles>TC>Quality>Assessment

Enhancing Customer Satisfaction by Assuring Documentation Quality  

From the customer's perspective, an important and visible part of a product or service is its documentation. Bellcore's Technical Publications (Tech Pubs) organization uses a Quality Assurance (QA) program that focuses on enhancing customer satisfaction through delivering high-quality documentation. This program emphasizes a 'network' approach to documentation development, whereby technical writers can most efficiently use the support network of QA reviewers and management available to them. The Tech Pubs QA program draws on the needs of clients and the expertise of technical writers to strive to achieve the highest level of quality possible in producing documentation.

Dolese, Cathy and Tara Durkin. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Quality>User Centered Design

Essential Ingredients for Success in a Quality Improvement Program  

This paper describes what we learned during the development and implementation of a quality improvement program in the Documentation Development Division at SAS Institute Inc. Our division includes 48 writers and 12 editors. What we learned is that a quality improvement program needs to preserve collegiality, be repeatable and improvable over time, and be part of an integrated effort to create and maintain documentation standards and guidelines.

House, Ken and Dan Harrell. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Management>Quality

Exploring Paths Toward Quality Information Products  

Information product quality has long been considered undefinable, but that must change if we are ever to improve the quality of our work beyond present levels. Information product quality can usefully be defined as measurable conformance to requirements. Requirements come from three sources: customers, clients, and professional standards. By determining our customers' and clients' critical needs, we can devise conformance metrics. This formulation can be applied in the context of many organizational quality improvement programs, such as benchmarking, continuous improvement, ISO 9000, and (with reservations) Six Sigma.

Jong, Steven F. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Quality>Methods

Fanning the Creative Spark  

Creativity is critical to every aspect of our lives. Without it, we're susceptible to burnout, boredom, and (gasp!) bad writing. Creativity leads to improved productivity and innovation, superior problem-solving, and a more enjoyable life. We can enhance our creativity by giving ourselves permission to be creative, by not being judgemental, and by practicing.

Brenneman, Judy Fort. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>TC>Quality

Fuzzy + Expensive = Useful?

Executives as well as customers demand quality from technical communicators. However, the requirements of both groups seem hard to combine: Executives want quality to be achieved inside the company by applying quality standards without causing any delay or additional costs. Establishing customer-based quality, on the other hand, usually demands extra money and extra time. Nevertheless both demands can and should be utilized for developing a user-oriented quality system.

Bock, Gabriele. TC-FORUM (1998). Articles>Usability>Quality

Hidden Factors of Documentation Quality -- Part 1

The first impulse of many documenters is to turn our work over to editors and graphic designers, or to form committees and develop style guidelines. All of these measures are useful, but none can assure us of quality when there are basic problems with the way we go about producing documentation.

Sesnovich, Bruce A. Boston Broadside (1993). Articles>Documentation>Quality>Technical Writing

The High Cost of Quality

Quality Systems (QS) have become essential for (inter-)national competition. Companies spend large amounts of money for 'measuring' quality defined by national and international standards. Quality, however, is a value, and like creeds and ideologies values cannot be measured with scientific exactness and are difficult to control. Total Quality Management (TQM) and other standardized concepts take that idealistic dimension into account. Certification according to ISO 9000, for instance, covers only about 50% of a TQM implementation.

Bock, Gabriele. TC-FORUM (1998). Articles>Project Management>Quality>Standards

Implementing Quality

Quality can not simply be measured at the end of the project. The end of the project is too late.

Lenk, Donald S. Jr. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Quality