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1. An auditor randomly selects ten events from the Help Desk call log.
Beginning with a maximum possible score of 5.0, the auditor deducts 0.5
points for each incident where the auditor determines that the query
could have been answered by information that was missing from the
documentation. (The Help Desk is used not because the caller actually
looked for the information, but rather to determine what information the
users actually need.)
2. An internal auditor randomly selects ten procedures that are
currently included in the documentation. An employee who has never read
the documentation is given the list and asked to find those procedures
in the documentation. Beginning with a maximum possible score of 5.0,
the auditor deducts 0.5 points for each procedure that takes more the
employee than 30 seconds to find.
3. Taking the procedures selected for #2, the auditor implements the
procedures as directed. Beginning with a maximum possible score of 5.0,
the auditor deducts 0.5 points for each procedure that doesn't work
*exactly* as described, including user actions, results, screen
captures, etc.
These are for software documentation, but other types of documentation
could be measured.
These wouldn't work for all companies, but they indicate that real
metrics are possible.
-- Dan Goldstein
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nosnivel
> Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 12:33 PM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: Measurable objectives?
>
> ... Her reaction implied that, like me,
> she had never encountered a company that
> thought documentation quality could or
> should be measured in any scientific
> way.
>
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