RE: Clearing the check marks

["Boudreaux, M (GE Healthcare, consultant)" <MadelynBoudreaux -at- ge -dot- com>]

>	"What kind of work do you do?" 
>	"Oh, I select boxes."

In this case, you're wrong. 

>But please get rid of all that selecting of boxes. 
>Make your writing task-oriented. 
>Make it subject-matter-oriented. 
>Make it real-world oriented.

It's a series of tests. For each step, there's a box which says, in
effect (in various forms of engineer-speak, which is one issue I'm
trying to fix), "Are all the checkboxes on this page cleared? Circle YES
or NO." 

This is NOT a "real world task" document. It's not even a testing
document, per se, but a document to test whether the more fleshed out
tests that are run in the field actually verify the cause of an error.
It involves a lot of detaching parts, clicking boxes, unplugging cables,
pressing buttons, attaching the parts again, plugging in the cables, and
recording results for every step. 

I have to maintain a step instructing the users to do Task A, and then
to note that they have done Task A. 

Even if Task A is boring, isn't task oriented, isn't real-world
oriented, and makes me drool. 

I'm assured that, due to the large amounts of potentially dangerous
energy being used in these machines, some early i-dotting and t-crossing
and yes, box-checking, may mean the difference between whether a patient
comes out of surgery okay. Is that real-world enough for me? Yep. 

>It is ludicrous to attribute "needs" to checkboxes on a form. 

The government auditing agency disagrees, but thanks for your 2 cents. 

- Madelyn
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