Technical Communication Fundamentals - Collaboration and Writing PDF

Technical Communication Fundamentals Chapter 2 Collaboration and Writing Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle...

Technical Communication Fundamentals Chapter 2 Collaboration and Writing Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 1  Collaboration and Writing Approaches to Collaboration Collaboration and the Writing Process Teamwork Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 2  Approaches to Collaboration Divide and Conquer A large project is divided into sections Sections are assigned to team members Specialization A large project is divided into sections Sections are assigned to team members based on their expertise Sequence Drafts of a document are passed from one person to the next Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 3  Approaches to Collaboration Dialog Two writers pass drafts of a document back and forth Often an editor/writer relationship Synthesis Two writers work side-by-side on a document Most seamlessly collaborative approach Works best when writers are very familiar with each other Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 4  Collaboration and the Writing Process The Writing Team Planning Budgeting Time and Money Communication Modular Writing Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 5  Collaboration and the Writing Process Guidelines for Collaboration Get to know your team Set clear goals and ground rules Use brainstorming techniques for planning Use storyboarding techniques for drafting Agree on a thorough revision process Use computers to communicate Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 6  Collaboration and the Writing Process The Writing Team Team Leader Contact for team members and clients May be the project manager Planning coordinator Manages communication among team members Keeps track of benchmarks and deadlines Prepares for meetings Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 7  Collaboration and the Writing Process The Writing Team Archivist Keeps minutes of meetings Assembles files of all written material associated with the project Prepares material to be stored in organization’s archives Devil’s Advocate Identifies potential problems Helps team avoid groupthink Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 8  Collaboration and the Writing Process Planning Analyze your audience Identify the stakeholders? What is important to them? Identify the desired outcome What information will make the document successful? Where can that information be found? What tasks will be necessary to accomplish the team’s goals? Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 9  Collaboration and the Writing Process Budgeting Time and Money Identify benchmarks—deadlines for specific tasks Completion of preliminary research Organization of collected information Planning of graphics Completion of first draft Editing of late draft Document design Publication of document Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 10  Collaboration and the Writing Process Budgeting Time and Money Schedule Chart Guidelines Include Only Main Activities List Activities in Sequence Create New Formats When Needed Be Realistic About the Schedule Managing Finances Prepare a budget early Know your organization’s policies for authorizing and reimbursing expenses Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 11  Schedule charts Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 12  Collaboration and the Writing Process Communication Face-to-face meetings Electronic mail Computer conference Groupware Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 13  Collaboration and the Writing Process Modular Writing Large documents are broken down into smaller elements Smaller elements are assigned to different people Smaller elements are stored electronically Smaller elements can be assembled in to a variety of larger documents in multiple formats Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 14  Collaboration and the Writing Process Modular Writing Requires careful planning Requires a thorough style guide May include shared templates All documents that use an element can be updated automatically with a single change to the source element Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 15  Teamwork Running Effective Meetings Common Problems with Meetings Start and end too late Purpose is unclear Note everyone in the meeting needs to be there Conversations get off track Some people dominate; others don’t contribute at all Meetings end with no sense of accomplishment Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 16  Teamwork Get to Know Your Team Set Clear Goals and Ground Rules Use Storyboarding Techniques for Drafting Agree on a Revision Process Use Computers to Communicate Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 17  Teamwork Writers and Subject Matter Experts Writers contribute expertise in document design, writing, and editing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) contribute technical expertise Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 18  Teamwork Writers and Subject Matter Experts Guidelines for Collaborating with SMEs Use the SME’s Time Wisely Put Questions in Writing When Possible Prepare for Interviews and Meetings Treat the SME with Respect Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 19  Teamwork Writers and Subject Matter Experts Guidelines for Being a Collaborative SME Keep Technical Communicators Informed Respond to Emails and Phone Calls Promptly Prepare for Interviews and Meetings Treat the Technical Communicator with Respect Technical Communication Fundamentals, 1st Edition © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, W.S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 20