PowerPoint Presentations for Doc/writer Impact?

Subject: PowerPoint Presentations for Doc/writer Impact?
From: Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com, Worzel Gummidge <worzel_gummidge -at- lycos -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:28:37 -0500

Worzel Gummidge wondered: <<Does anyone out there have any PowerPoint presentations (or willing to share presentations) that relate to (one, any, or all): * How docs, a writer, or tech pubs dept. impacted and influenced customers (customer wins for example)>>

There's been a lot published concerning "value added", including a 1995(?) special issue of _Technical Communication_ that provided several decent case studies of the value-added by technical communicators. Hit the library and you can pull tons of useful statistics out of this survey.

<<* How docs can save (and saved) a company (your company's) bottom line>>

Until someone documents both the costs of documentation (easy to do) and the income generated by these sunk costs (trickier), you'll have a hard time proving your point. However, here's one crude calculation you can do: Let's say your company produces software at a cost of $100, including your department's salaries, donuts etc., then sells it for $200. Each of the hundred dollars spent to produce each copy of the software generates $1 of income _after repaying its own cost_ (i.e., a 100% return on investment). If your documentation department accounts for $5 of that $100 cost, then you've generated $5 income for your company for each copy of the software that you sell at that price. Guess what... you're actually a profit center!

Want more suggestions on "guerrilla" tricks to prove your worth? See: Hart, G.J. 2001. Prove your worth. Intercom July/August 2001:16-19.

<<* How docs, a writer, and/or tech pubs dept. provided real value for your company * How a tech writer or tech pubs dept. changed old methodologies and introduced positive new methodologies>>

Back before I left FERIC to go freelance, our communications group held a "Kaizen" exercise to improve our review and revision process. We cut document production times by more than half as a result. (I hope to publish a case study next year, if I ever have time to write it up, that provides harder numbers. But the 50% time saving is easily defended.) That's pretty clear payback.

--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)





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RE: PowerPoint Presentations for Doc/writer Impact?: From: Worzel Gummidge

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