documentation metrics

[Sam TechWriter <samtechwriter -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Historically, documentation metrics at our company have been limited to accuracy. We'd like to expand the metrics to usability, as defined by customers when talking to technical support. (Eventually we'd like to collect usability metrics in more meaningful ways, but this is a good start.) 

My documentation group is looking at designing "check the box" metrics for technical support to gather when talking to customers and updating or creating "bugs" in the company database. We're fairly certain that technical support will be amenable to tracking this data if we make the metrics easy to gather. 

Have any of you done this kind of thing before? Care to evaluate the "check the box" metrics below? 

[First branch: "Documentation should include this information" with an indicator of the "opinion-owner" - technical support and/or customer]

* Customer did not review the documentation 
>>Does not know where the documention is located 
>>Has had problems finding information before so didn't even try 
>>...other? fill in the blank? 

* Customer searched the documentation but could not find resolution 

* Customer found information in the documentation but it was not helpful 
>>fill in details.... 

* Additional comments by technical support

Thanks in advance, 
"Sam TechWriter"


       
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