Re: Estimation of the number of pages to be written per day
Hi,
There are two queries:
1. How do you estimate the optimum number of pages
that a technical writer may write per day with all
information available using MS Word, RoboHelp, and
Framemaker so as to generate minimum re-work after
review?
I have a metric that has withstood the test of time, but first I've got to say that the condition "all information available" seems to reduce the question to the context of a tool test. I suspect that the real criteria is simply to avoid digressions into fudge factors. No big deal, but I have to say something about legitimate fudge factors anyway.
The only rule you'll ever need, based on US English and 8.5" x 11.0" pages, is:
Standard productivity is two (2) new pages per day over the life of the writing project.
If a writer starts with this rule, and then looks back with hindsight and first hand knowledge of the writing project, the writer should be able to identify the influences and reasons for greater or lesser productivity. To me, influences and reasons are not "I'm a faster tech writer", they're things like "These were not standard new pages."
I believe there's a lot of work left to be done in defining a standard new page. It might be fun to pass them around and see what each of wants a half-day to complete. .
2. Can u please let me know if there are any
standards, methods, links that provides u such
standard measurements or estimations to plan work for
your team?
Nope, a little birdie told me.
But let me explain: page productivity is a metric for the self-monitoring tech writer. It is easily fudged, so "know thyself" (and what you're trying to prove) is a useful adjunct to any use of the metric. For example, if you can't resist the urge to make yourself look exceptionally productive by lowering your standard to the point where you get 3 or 5 pages per day, then this metric isn't for you. On the other hand, if you want to understand your tasks and productivity with the aim of eventually being able to predict how long it will take you to do a certain job, then you are a tech writer who can profit from using this metric.
In my experience, with projects ranging in difficulty from the simplest formatting exercise to the ones requiring frontier surgery, I've learned to start by aiming for 2pp/day, and parlaying what I learn from that review process into estimation skills and finesse with fudge factors.
Ned Bedinger
Ed Wordsmith Technical Communications
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References:
Estimation of the number of pages to be written per day: From: Abhijit Sinha
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