Re: Pages Per Day

Subject: Re: Pages Per Day
From: "Suzette Leeming" <suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:14:43 -0400

Somewhere I heard the expression "documentation can be 1) good, 2) fast, and
3) cheap. Pick two. If they want it that fast, and still want it to be good,
it isn't going to be cheap and will probably involved hiring a crew of
contractors to help out. If they don't want to do that, then it will be fast
and cheap, in which case it isn't going to be good.

Thanks for the link to the dependency calculator, Julie. It may come in
handy when I need to justify my own time :-)

I use Help & Manual, and tend to complete 4-5 topics per day. Of course,
that depends on the complexity of the topic though. Some topics may take a
couple of days to complete, while others can be finished in 15 minutes. I'd
like to be able to figure out an average.

Speaking of complexity, our application is modular and consists of
approximately 10+ modules. Some modules have user manuals that are 700 - 800
pages long. I am a lone technical writer who has only recently convinced
them that this is NOT a part time job. I tried to convince them to hire
another techwriter, so that we would be able to build up our knowledgebase,
as well as create training manuals and guides. I should have kept my mouth
shut though, because they love the idea of training materials, and have
added that to my list of tasks.

I responded by booking vacation (starting next week).

There are a lot of pointy-hair bosses out there.

Suzette Leeming


On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:58 AM, Julie Stickler <jstickler -at- gmail -dot- com>
wrote:

> I've been using the dependency calculator on the ComTech Web site ever
> since someone posting it to one of my mailing lists.
>
> http://www.comtech-serv.com/dependency_calculator.htm
>
> I've been keeping track of my own productivity for a couple of years
> now, and so far my personal numbers match the estimator pretty well.
> My previous gig ran 3 - 5 hours per page, depending on the project.
> My current gig (which is a *tad* less structured and has no
> specifications to help me get up to speed) is taking me quite a bit
> longer. I haven't finished my current project yet, but the estimates
> from the dependency calculator are 8 - 9 hours per page, which may
> explain why this project seems to be taking forever. *groans*
>
> At five hours per page, tell them that you (lone writer?) can write
> them six and a half pages of documentation in four days. If you've
> got a team, do the math for the team. Then, as Bill said, let the
> negotiations begin.
>
> BTW, how long did they spend coding this monster? I'm sure it wasn't
> four days... Sounds like they brought the writers in a little late in
> the process. I always want to say (but usually end up just muttering
> inside my head) "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an
> emergency on my part...."
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
> printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
> Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
> True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
> Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
> documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/suzette.leeming%40gmail.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
>


--
"What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others." - Diogenes

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

Need affordable web hosting? I recommend 1 & 1 - that's where I'm hosted!
http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=6815038
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.


Follow-Ups:

References:
Pages Per Day: From: Jim Barrow
Re: Pages Per Day: From: john
Re: Pages Per Day: From: Julie Stickler

Previous by Author: Re: active vs. passive voice
Next by Author: Re: Documentation lag time - delivery question
Previous by Thread: Re: Pages Per Day
Next by Thread: RE: Pages Per Day


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads