Developing High-Performing Teams  

Social psychology and organization development suggest that virtually all people, and all teams, must deal with conflicting impulses toward effective and ineffective behaviour. Research shows that it is a basic human trait to want to succeed, to be in control, and to avoid embarrassment. Group dynamics research also suggests that teams operate on two dimensions: the task or work dimension, and the social or relationship dimension. High-performing teams pay attention to both the task and social environments. They create an environment that minimizes the occurrence of face-saving and defensive behaviour. This environment is usually characterized by honesty and authenticity, by the use of relevant and verifiable information, and by a willingness to own up to mistakes.

Conklin, John James. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Collaboration>Management>Workplace

Developing HTML Documents and Help System  

This document explains necessary tips for providing product information in digital form, giving specific examples of choosing the suitable media, classifying information, appropriate linking, file organization, etc. through our experience (in Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) during the development of the software product called Web PrintVision.

Ito, Sachi. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Developing Information for Multiple Formats: You Can Get There from Here  

This paper describes the experiences of SAS Institute Inc. in developing single-source software documentation for presentation in multiple formats. The project is an ongoing team effort from all areas of the Publications Division. Our main goal is to develop online and hardcopy reference documentation. Toward this end, we set goals of using single-source files, reusing information, and tracking all information chunks and the relationships among them. To accomplish these goals we had to make decisions about the tools we are going to use, what information we are going to include, how we will design and present the modular information, linking and indexing strategies, and testing. This paper discusses the choices we made in light of our goals.

Moell, Patricia G. and Helen F. Weeks. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Developing Interface Standards: Compliance From a Corporate Perspective  

This paper discusses the role of an information developer in defining application interface standards and ensuring compliance across all applications. An interface, such as an application screen or system-generated report, should be consistent to enhance ease-of-processing for the end users.

Davis, Sondra K. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>User Interface>Standards

Developing Internal Procedures Online: The HowWe Manuals Project at Suncorp  

The process of implementing on-line documentation for the first time is always a daunting task, particularly if the target company has had little exposure to PC based systems. This is the challenge we faced at SUNCORP. Many people doubted the value of having reference material on-line (particularly those in the IT areas). Just as many doubted whether it was possible to do at all. Throughout the project we came across many obstacles, some man made, others system made; however the end result shows our resolve and determination has paid off for the staff of SUNCORP.

Bell, Dean and Helen Smith. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Business Communication>Policies and Procedures>Case Studies

Developing ISO 9000 Procedures  

Documentation is the foundation upon which an ISO-compliant quality system is built. Creating this documentation isn’t, however, as easy as it seems on the surface. Understanding the concept of the Standard enables writers to understand the content requirements. The structure this documentation follows will also impact the success of your registration audit. Once the documentation has been created, the control of it becomes of paramount importance. ISO requires that you control not only the documents and data you create, but also those that you receive from outside sources. Document and data control issues are one of the most common causes of registration failure!

Robinson, Ralph E. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Documentation>Policies and Procedures

Developing Mission Statements, Objectives, and Goals  

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.

Ruenzel, Charlotte J. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Business Communication>Planning

Developing New Levels of Edit  

In 1985, the writing and editing group at Los Alamos National Laboratory established four levels of edit for technical reports. When a survey in 1994 showed that both authors and editors felt the levels were not meeting author needs, we set about revising them. Our goals were to simplify the editing process, focus editing on improving technical clarity, and ensure that value was added in editing. This paper describes our revision process and product--—three author-based levels of edit.

Prono, Judyth, Martha DeLanoy, Robert Deupree, Jeffrey Skiby and Brian Thompson. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Editing>Standards

Developing Online Help for OS/2 Applications  

One of the biggest problems facing Help developers is that of providing users with adequate methods of navigation through what can be huge amounts of information. After more than a two or three jumps, users can find themselves in topics that might be useful, but with no clear indication of how they got there or how to return to where they started. OS/2 gives the Help developer extraordinarily flexible tools for creating online documentation that can prevent this situation and provide users with a clearer path through online information than many other platforms can provide. However, this enhanced usability is not without its cost.

Radecki, Steven Lewis. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Developing Online Help in Lotus Notes  

If you are a technical writer or manage technical writers and have been asked to document Lotus Notes applications, this workshop will give you a jump start. You can use the features available in Notes to create an effective help system as a Notes database. This help database can either be a view in an existing Notes application or a stand-alone database linked to the application. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of creating help systems in Lotus Notes.

Gross, Jacqui, Faye Smith and Steve Charles. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online

Developing Products and Their Rhetoric from a Single Hierarchical Model  

Goal hierarchies are models that represent a set of problems or goals. Goal hierarchies can also represent the goals of a product, and the information that should be provided to explain the product. A single goal hierarchy can direct the design of both the product and all rhetoric about the product. Goal hierarchies can direct the design and ordering of the tasks required to build the product. They can also define the structure and order of its accompanying text, online help, hypertext, training, and customer support heuristic. Goal hierarchies were used to enhance development of a specific Department of Veterans Affairs information product and its accompanying rhetoric.

White, Basil J. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Rhetoric>TC

Developing Successful Marketing Materials: An Evaluation Workshop  

A marketing piece that holds a reader's interest and delivers its message is successful because it integrates a variety of writing techniques with the visuals and layout. This workshop will help you identify successful techniques for marketing materials such as brochures, data sheets, white papers, and press backgrounders.

King, Janice M. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>TC>Marketing

Developing Tools to Manage Projects  

Coordinating the resources and tasks involved in a large documentation development effort requires the ability to gather meaningful project information at critical junctures so that appropriate decisions can be made. Project managers need the right tools to help them make sense out of the sometimes overwhelming and chaotic flow of project activities. When appropriate tools are not available, documentation project managers must adapt and invent to obtain what they need.

Harr, Robert G. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Project Management

Developing Troubleshooting Publications for Complex Systems: A Case Study: Troubleshooting Router-Based Internetworks  

The process of troubleshooting problems in complex systems involves systematically obtaining and synthesizing information from many sources, Creating troubleshooting support documents involves an analogous planning and development process. Three activities are essential to the creation of successful troubleshooting materials: cultivating strategic partners, designing an effective document, and implementing efficient information gathering processes. The unique nature of troubleshooting information requires approaches to these activities that can be adapted to different situations. This paper uses an informal case study format to illustrate how several techniques developed at Cisco Systems, Inc. can be used to create troubleshooting material for any complex system.

Lew, H. Kim. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation

Developing WebHelp: What 'How to' Design Doesn't Always Tell Us  

Development of the Intranet application STAR.IDN for requesting and receiving medically related supplies illustrates a broad spectrum of technological and user issues. As such it serves as a case study of design and user-related decisions between an application designer and a Help author. Central to the study is the argument that design must be based on an empirically 'informed' rather than 'assumed' user model. The project also challenges Web literature that does not address user considerations in its promotion of design methods.

Eiler, Mary Ann and Kathleen Bright. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Developing Your Online Portfolio  

Online (Web, CD, digital, electronic) portfolios are an important and emerging tool for technical communicators. Creation, design, and distribution, as well as stylistic concerns, are critical issues in the development of an online portfolio. This paper provides suggestions for preparing an online portfolio and is the result of information gained from an online survey of working technical communicators.

Barry, Kevin M. and Jill C. Wesolowski. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Portfolios>Online

Development of Japanese-Language CD-ROM Manuals Using SGML  

Fujitsu Limited publishes as many as 10,000 manuals a year. Efficient, standardized manual production is, therefore, indispensable. Our department has created a manual on CD - ROM as a pilot project of electronic publishing using the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). The use of CD - ROM provides the manual with a convenient reformation search feature and high portability that can not be achieved with conventional paper manuals. This paper discusses our methodologies, problems involved in Japanese language SGML manual production, and how we solved them.

Nakamura, Yuko. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Localization>Japan

Developmental Edits: A Quick Reference  

Performing a developmental edit early in the writing process ensures that the larger issues of organization and usability will be addressed while there is still time to make changes. The writing manager, lead writer, or technical editor should do the developmental edit. This edit consists of reviewing an early (in many cases partial) draft of the document and (1) making sure it adheres to the document plan, (2) studying the table of contents to verify that the organization is effective, and (3) doing a copy edit spot check. Although many of the issues turned up in a developmental edit are similar to those found during a copy edit, finding them early on saves the writer time and effort as the rest of the book is written.

Arakelian, Caroline. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Editing

Diagnosing and Curing Writer's Block Paralysis in the Workplace  

At one time or another, all writers--veterans or novices, technical or creative--struggle with writer's block. Advice on treating creative writer's block abounds, but very little information exists for technical writers who frequently must write even when they feel blocked. Fortunately, solutions used by creative writers to overcome blocks are often appropriate for technical writers in workplace situations. By understanding the symptoms, causes, and treatment of the problem, anyone can overcome and even prevent writer's block.

Ketelaar, Carolee C. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Writing

The Diary as a Professional Development Tool  

This progression session focuses on diaries as serious tools for professional development. We discuss attitudes toward keeping diaries; issues such as anonymity and confidentiality; and strategies for tapping the full potential of the diary as a source of creativity and guidance.

Janicko, Raymond P. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>Project Management

Digital Architectures: SGML, HTML, Multimedia and the Structure of Electronic Documents  

With the use of online multimedia communication growing daily, online technologies have dramatically changed the ways we use and present information -- so much so, that we also need to have new theories and models for understanding how technology and content are related in this new communication environment. This paper presents a theory of digital architecture and explains how SGML, HTML, and Information Architecture are related in the creation of a new online literacy and rhetoric.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Multimedia>Information Design

Digital Language and Literacy: An Online Course Design Learning Community  

This paper overviews a discipline-specific educational technology assistance program titled Digital Language and Literacy, which links technologically literate graduate students in English with faculty developing online courses for the first time. Such models not only help with online course design but also help to establish technological and pedagogical learning communities among current and future faculty.

Blair, Kristine L. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Education>Online>Case Studies

Digital Portfolios: How to Market Your Skills!   

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune last year suggests that technology workers need a variety of skills that include soft skills--good communication skills and the ability to work in teams.

Reece, Gloria A. and Louise I. Keeton. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Portfolios>Online

Digital Print Production and Distribution  

A presentation about aspects of digital prepress every technical communicator should know.

Flaman, Tim and John Givens. STC Region 7 Proceedings (2002). Articles>Publishing>Prepress