I haven't managed a team, but at a major computer manufacturing firm, I frequently had to convert functional specs into task-oriented customer documentation.
I found that it was helpful to ask a couple of questions: 1. Who would be using this feature or function and why? 2. Why did the developers include the feature or function in the product? What customer need(s) were they meeting? An example from my own learning is the use of layers in graphics editing. The person I was learning from did not know about layers. In a simple-minded way, I'd just make one change after another (to a jpeg) and use Edit->Undo to back out undesirable changes. Every time I saved my work, I made a new file with the change indicated in the new file name. Yes, I understood intellectually why layers would help with creating composites. (Think of the cat in the hat's balancing act.) But I wanted to fix flawed photographs. It wasn't until I figured out how to use adjustment layers to play with color casts and exposure levels 'n' such that I met MY needs. An "Aha!" moment. So, in conveying the usefulness of a product or feature, I try to imagine a situation in which someone is faced with a problem that the product or feature can help solve. Tell a story about solving that problem. Getting down to a stepwise procedure, with a real-world example (that makes sense in the reader's mind) can help clarify the task. In editing a photograph with a color cast, I could talk about pixels and color space and gamut and histograms, but the task is: (1) find a color photograph whose color doesn't look right; (2) in that photograph, find a spot that should be pure black but is not black; (3) use tools to change the file such that that spot actually was black; (4) assess the effect on the whole photo. Do similar steps for a spot that should be pure white but is not white and (trickier to identify) a spot that should be a neutral, medium gray but is not neutral, medium gray. I think that some people are brilliantly inventive at finding ways to make use of things. Just tell 'em what something is and they'll design, create, produce, without being told how-to. Other people relish being given steps to take (1-2-3's) with realistic examples. Bob Stromberg Greenwich, NY ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
