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Subject:Re: TECHWR-L Digest - 18 Jan 1995 to 19 Jan 1995 From:Bev Clark <bclark -at- GRACE -dot- RT -dot- CS -dot- BOEING -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 20 Jan 1995 12:34:14 PST
>Care to indulge in some mental aerobics?
>Suppose your new company president decided that
>you need to reduce the amount of information
>(documentation and online help) your company
>produces by 80% in the next year. He's not looking to cut
>people, just words.
>Of course, he also wants to make sure that the current level
>of customer satisfaction is maintained, and that calls to the
>support hotline do not increase.
>He expects a plan in a week.
>So, hypothetically speaking, how would you cut 80%?
>Are there any "quick fixes" that come to mind? Any new
>approaches or methods that you'd investigate? Any
>long-term strategies you'd adopt? All ideas, no matter
>how off-the-wall, are welcome!
>Regards,
>Tara Scanlon
>tscan -at- dbsoftware -dot- com
Long-term strategy (i.e., this probably won't help next year but could be
an approach for new products): Get together with the development folks, and
especially with the ergonomics or usability people, and treat this as a
challenge to all of you to design products whose operation is as
self-evident as possible. If you don't have any of these people, recommend
that your company hire or contract with some. You could eventually save $$
in the support department as well as in documentation.
Bev Clark
bclark -at- grace -dot- rt -dot- cs -dot- boeing -dot- com
Boeing Computer Services Research and Technology
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My opinions are my own, not those of The Boeing Company.
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