Cost justification for time spent developing documentation

Subject: Cost justification for time spent developing documentation
From: "Delaney, Misti" <ncr02!ncr02!mdelaney -at- UCS01 -dot- ATTMAIL -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 1995 17:46:00 -0500

From: Price, Becca
Subject: cost justification for time spent developing documentation
Date: Wednesday, August 09, 1995 4:42PM

Does anyone have a generic cost justification for including help files with
a company's products? Or for complete documentation, for matter?

We have been turning out "job aids" - basically, field descriptions and very
basic procedures or tips for use, rather than real manuals of any
description. This was not our decision, but one we inherited. oh, well.

We are now writing help files for the 250+ windows in our application - and
it's becoming clear just how useless our "job aids" really are - if
anything, they include only the kind of stuff that should be put in
microhelp lines. I have created a prototype help file for one screen, that
is now in review - and the page count for printed material formatted for
hard copy distribution jumped from 4 pages to probably 8 - 10. There is
one big procedure for using the screen, but about 10 mini-procedures (how to
delete a row in the array, how to change a batch total, etc.) were added.
There are also 5 topics on which we have added 2-5 tips each (press F2 to
get a list for this field, etc.).

My boss is appalled. (so am I, but for different reasons.)

All of a sudden, when they look at the explosion of new material to be
written (which should have been written before, says I, but that's another
story), they are re-thinking the time, effort, and money needed to create
reasonable help. (it had originally been sold to them as simply a
reformatting of our document, no extra work or cost at all, really. Really.
Trust Me.)

I believe that our screens *need* the more in depth information, but am now
having to prove it - and I'm not even sure what questions I should be asking
much less how to go about finding the information. What I am looking for is
a general statement to the effect that on-line help saves $$ in production
and distribution costs, is easier to update and maintain, easier for users
to find info (if they were well designed, of course, which mine are - by
definition! <g>), saves $$ on technical support, etc. I can write a memo to
that effect, and make all those assertions, but it would be nice to have
some body authoritative to cite.

Thanks!

BTW, we're working on cleaning up our act here, and trying to turn this
joint into a professional organization - or at least the dox group part of
it - but it's going to be a long, bloody fight.

Becca Price
ncr02!bprice -at- attmail -dot- com

"Unorganized data is noise" - Claude Shannon
"Gee, my desk is noisy!" - Becca Price


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