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> I work with a fairly large group of technical
> writers. All of our writers need to report their
> number of "completes" to the management, and at the
> moment that figure is all that the managers see.
> Some writers produce loads of documents with minimal
> effort, and others produce a smaller number with
> large effort. Some people end up with 50 completes a
> quarter, and others might have less than 10. It
> isn't a very useful metric.
>
> We've tried to document complexity level, but that
> is too vague. One person's complexity rating is not
> the same as how someone else would rate the same
> document.
We don't track "completes". It's not practical for
documentation purposes, at least not as a measurement
of productivity, as your management folks seem to be
using it.
You *could* group the types of completes into
"complexity bins" where each bin is assigned a value,
and then multiply that value by the number of things
in the bin. Again, not a valid means of measuring
productivity.
What is the goal? To see what is getting done, or to
see where the deadwood lies?
I do not treat documentation tasks in the context of
silos. I treat each and every documentation project
as, well, a project. By using proper project
management skills, you can accurately gauge
productivity, how much is getting done, and see how on
track you are, as well as where the deadwood is over
time. IMO, anyone in a lead role should have or build
strong project management skills, as really, when done
right, it's the only accurate and measurable means of
seeing how much is getting done and how it's being
handled.
HTH...
=====
Goober Writer
(because life is too short to be inept)
"As soon as you hear the phrase "studies show",
immediately put a hand on your wallet and cover your groin."
-- Geoff Hart
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