Teambuilding Insights from the Newsroom

To the uninitiated, a newsroom on deadline may seem more like a scene of chaos than a smoothly functioning team. Having spent the early part of my career in newsrooms and the rest in corporate settings, I can say that the closest I have ever come to the high-performing teams executives struggle to create has been in the world of daily news.

Dunsavage, Jeff. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Collaboration>Journalism>Workflow

Technical Assistance for Writers in the Workplace: Some Heuristic Uses of Professional Writing Techniques in a Multiauthor Writing Process     

Linda Flower's work serves as the basis for devising writing technical assistance in three case studies of multiauthor reports. One major barrier to audience-based writing, planning—and, hence, producing readable text—is the writer-based structure embodied in a project's work program. Writing technical assistance can help displace this structure by various means, including collaborative writing. But the interaction between the two activities basic to writing—creating specific audience-based goals and devising a new hierarchical structure for content knowledge—remains unclear in theory and in practice.

Baker, Linda. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Collaboration>Workflow>Writing

Technical Communication as Business Strategy: How Changes in Discursive Patterns Affect the Value of Technical Communication in Cross-Functional Team Settings    

Business seldom views technical communicators' contributions as offering strategic thinking and services. Companies tend to view technical communicators as tactical and technical, rather than strategic and creative. Consequently, often in cross-functional development settings the ideas and recommendations of technical communicators are not valued in the same way that ideas from business strategists, marketing, or other fields are. This paper details a case study in which the role of an information architect, a title that more and more technical communicators use to describe themselves, becomes valued by a design firm's client and by the firm itself as strategic business advantage. I explain why the role of the information architect increased in value and how the increased value changed the job description. I look at how blending knowledge occurs through shifts in terminology, imitation of another field, and selling new concepts.

Norton, David W. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Collaboration>Workflow

The Technical Communicator's Role in Initiating Cross-Functional Teams    

This article focuses on cross-functional teams in software development environments. While very formal approaches to cross-functional teams exist, this article focuses on less formal approaches based on existing literature and case studies. Technical communicators are ideal candidates for implementing cross-functional teams on an informal level. Because of this, they can also be excellent catalysts for initiating formal cross-functional approaches in their organizations, even if their organizations have never used cross-functional teams before.

Marchwinski, Theresa and Karen Mandziuk. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Collaboration>Workflow

The Technical Writing Process  

The technical writing process consists of four phases: planning, writing, delivery and archiving. The phases of the technical writing process are not necessarily discrete. You might start the writing phase before you complete the planning stage, for example, or you might have to deliver the documentation before you feel it is finished. It is highly unlikely, however, that you will ever archive the documentation before you deliver it! Some products are released several times. In this situation, you might be in the delivery phase of the first iteration of the project while you are in the planning phase of the second iteration. Don't panic: overlap in the technical writing process is quite normal.

Docsymmetry (2003). Articles>Documentation>Workflow>Technical Writing

The Power of Process, The Perils of Process

Traditionally, information architects and designers (UI, visual, ID) are creatures of process. We generally work in prescribed ways—discover, design, validate, repeat. We sketch first, then create rough flows and then finetuned detailed wireframes and mocks. This usually works well, once accepted, and most companies—whether in-house teams or consultancies—work along similar lines. In my experience, I have found that creating and documenting process has been a good exercise to help institutionalize ways of working, to help educate new team members as well as to unveil the mysteries of what we do for executives, product folks, and development teams.

Malone, Erin. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Information Design>Workflow

Tools and Technology: A Work-Flow Paradigm for Single-Source Publishing  

Today's organizations must consider the effect that new tools and technologies are having on work flow. Web technology has raised the importance of information. This change in the customer/supplier market is allowing the company with the best information to have an edge. It is our responsibility as communicators to find better, faster, and cheaper ways to distribute information. An effective work flow can accomplish this. In the most common work-flow scenarios, Web technology is placed on the back end of the production schedule. All of these scenarios are flawed in different ways. Solving Web work-flow problems requires a paradigm shift.

Christner-Vorhes, Jamie and Bill Pollak. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Workflow

The Top 3 Priorities of the Talking Horse

Anytime somebody does something new with technology, something nobody else has ever done before, that technology goes through a talking horse stage. It's extremely common and, more importantly, it's critical for the design team to recognize that they are in this stage.

Spool, Jared M. User Interface Engineering (2004). Design>Web Design>Workflow

Tracking Reviewers' Comments

I had a manual under review by over 60 people. I posted a question about how to track all of their comments. Here is the summary. Thanks to everyone who responded. You all gave me a lot to think about. I realized as I got the comments that I left out a crucial piece of information...the manual went out to our managers and maintenance specialists in the field (we have offices all over the United States). Thus, we can't hold traditional meetings.

Hanvey, Jeff. Suite101. Reference>Editing>Groupware>Workflow

Upstream Knowledge Management

Most of the focus in knowledge management is on 'downstream' projects to organize thousands of existing documents that, through various departmental tributaries, are flooding corporate intranets. But what about 'upstream' knowledge management -- organizing and adding value when a source is identified or a document is written?

Montague Institute Review (1998). Articles>Knowledge Management>Workflow

Users In The Development Cycle: Effective Project Communication

Don't be another project manager who thinks end users have no place in the development cycle. Get the right information from the right people and make sure your team has everything they need to do their jobs properly. When your application is loved by all and you're responsible for its success, your entire team will thank you for it.

Palmisano, Salvatore. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Design>User Centered Design>Workflow

Using DFSS Tools for Better Technical Writing Processes and Deliverables  

Paresh Naik explains how the Technical Writers and Publication Managers can leverage the six sigma tools and techniques for improving the quality of information products and processes.

Paresh, Naik. STC India (2006). Presentations>Quality>Workflow>Methods

Using Style Sheets

Style sheets supplement the style manual (if there is one). You might also use one to summarise vital information for your own reference or to give to an editor. Record on a style sheet any decisions made for a particular product or publication.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (1999). Articles>Writing>Workflow

Version Cue: Balancing Simplicity, Functionality in CS Workflow Tool

Adobe's release of Creative Suite last fall introduced Version Cue, a tool designed to help individuals and small creative teams keep track of the latest versions of their graphics and page layouts. The Seybold Reports took it for a test drive to assess its performance.

Dyson, Peter and Mark Walter. Creative Pro (2004). Design>Document Design>Software>Workflow

Web Design Workflow: Project Organization and Management  

Whether you are managing an internal site, or building a new site from scratch, one thing remains as a key responsibility — managing expectations for an external or internal 'client.' This client must understand not only the fundamentals of building a Web site, but must also understand how each choice and decision that is made impacts both scope and budget of the project. By understanding the core elements of process which go into creating a Web presence, both the client and the project manager can utilize resources adequately and effectively.

Goto, Kelly. GotoMedia (2000). Design>Web Design>Workflow

What They Want Is What They Need

Is the customer always right? My uncle Fred would argue that in the microcosm of neighbourhood corner store management the customer had better be always right, or you won't have your corner store for very long. He also knew, however, that regardless of his philosophical approach towards running his business, a lot of his customers who were supposedly right didn't have a clue as to what they were complaining about...but he'd never tell them that.

Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1995). Careers>Business Communication>Workflow

Where Our Standards Went Wrong

Regardless of whether we find validation impractical or imperative, the infighting in the standards community is the biggest obstacle to real progress. Instead of trying to understand what factors make both sides agitated, we've vilified the people on the other side of the argument. We need to identify what's making 100% validation so expensive and difficult, and work on removing those factors.

Marcotte, Ethan. List Apart, A (2007). Design>Web Design>Standards>Workflow

Who is in Control?: The Logic Underlying the Intelligent Technologies Used in Performance Support    

Performance support (also called EPSS, for electronic performance support system) emerged from the instructional design and training communities because corporate enterprise systems were difficult for people to use, and the training needed to make them productive was expensive and time consuming. A good definition is that 'EPSS (Electronic Performance Support Systems) are systems that provide employees with the information, advice and learning experiences they need to get up to speed as quickly as possible and with the minimum of support from other people' (Raybould 1996). One of the issues in designing performance support is managing information overload. Two approaches are the use of agents and the presentation of information in visual form (called information visualization). The former looks for ways that computer programs can do work for users, sorting through data on their behalf; the latter looks for ways to present information so that users can directly access it through direct manipulation. You can do both, but the selection of each has an impact on the interaction style and the degree to which users can directly control the system. It is therefore an issue that any performance support system designer should consider carefully. This is a logical extension of the goal of easy-to-use programs, adding the requirement that the user interface be actively informative and helpful.

Quesenbery, Whitney. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Content Management>Workflow>EPSS

Wikibility Cultural Key Drivers: Flexibility

A flexible workplace is characterized by the capability of individuals to manage not only their work, time or resources, but also the possibility to influence and operate in an active way inside the community (from team to organizational level) and for these reasons to be part of the operational process.

Cammarata, Vincenzo. Grow Your Wiki (2008). Articles>Content Management>Workflow>Wikis

Wizards and Guides: Principles of Task Flow for Web Applications, Part 2

In part one of this article the discussion was one of views, forms, and the manner in which they could be combined into a task structure known as a hub. This installment expands on those themes by exploring two other types of task structures commonly employed in web applications--wizards and guides.

Baxley, Bob. Boxes and Arrows (2004). Design>Web Design>Workflow>Collaboration

Work Schedule Form  

A form for allowing teams to coordinate days and times for meeting.

Markel, Mike. Bedford-St. Martin's (2001). Careers>Workplace>Workflow

Working Memory in an Editing Task    

A number of studies have found that writers produce text in bursts of language. That is, when creating a text, writers produce a few words, pause, produce a few more words, pause, and so on. Chenoweth and Hayes (2003) hypothesized that language bursts occur when writers translate ideas in to new language. This study tested this hypothesis against the following two alternative hypotheses: (a) Language bursts are caused by proposing new ideas rather than by translating ideas in to written language and (b) language bursts depend on the form of the input to the writing process rather than on the translation process. The study employed an editing task in which participants were required to translate a written language input. The alternative hypotheses led to contradictory predictions about writers' performance in this task. The study also explored the impact of working memory restrictions on task performance.

Hayes, John R. and N. Ann Chenoweth. Written Communication (2007). Articles>Editing>Workflow>Cognitive Psychology

Writer Training: Complementary Models of Document Review in the Classroom and at Work  

Document review is an important tool for knowledge management and socialization. However, because the relationship between texts and work is changing with advances in information technology, we must reconsider the necessity and practice of document review. We need to examine what reviewers are currently doing to see how those practices match with or can be complemented by the classroom based review practices that are commonly used. This paper sketches out a new model of review (mediated practice) that combines the strength of workplace and classroom based models of review.

Swarts, Jason. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Knowledge Management>Workflow

Eliminating the 'End Game' from Electronic Deliverables

Once you start looking at your publishing process separately from your content and style considerations, you will have identified how your “End Game” impacts your production process. Then, you can take the necessary steps to eliminate it.

Porter, Alan J. TechCom Manager (2007). Articles>Publishing>Online>Workflow