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RE: Too many steps, take some out (was RE: If you were making a FAQ...
Subject:RE: Too many steps, take some out (was RE: If you were making a FAQ... From:Paul Hanson <twer_lists_all -at- hotmail -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 30 Aug 2012 22:03:54 -0500
That was just a left-handed, behind the back, ally-oop reference to the
reference to it recently.
I totally agree that a procedure is as many steps as it takes to get it
done.
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: McLauchlan, Kevin [mailto:Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2012 4:21 PM
To: Paul Hanson; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Too many steps, take some out (was RE: If you were making a FAQ...
Paul Hanson [mailto:twer_lists_all -at- hotmail -dot- com] said:
>
> I used to work at a company that had a long procedure to add a XYZ to
> the system. One of the tasks I completed while I was there was an
> audit of that procedure and it expanded to something like 34 steps
> (totally breaking the
> +/- 7 rule but don't go there).
I'm going there. There's no such rule.
A procedure takes as many steps as it takes.
If it's a LOT of steps, you can insert some headings at milestones,
and maybe restart the numbering after each heading. Maybe,
number - or letter - the headings. But if it's that long AND is broken
into sections, you should probably put a note at the front
telling the customer to expect that the entire procedure goes
all the way from major-step A to major-step F, each one of those
major steps including several numbered sub-steps... or however
you want to phrase it.
Whatever you do, don't give the customer an opportunity to
think that they are done before they've actually accomplished
the objective.
- k
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