TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Value of tech. comm. departments From:"Geoff Hart (by way of \"Eric J. Ray\" <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>)" <ght -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> Date:Thu, 1 Oct 1998 08:04:33 -0600
Florita Sheldon wondered <<...where I can find any type of
feasibility study or productivity survey that shows the cost-savings
within a business produced by a technical writer and/or technical
writing staff? The technical writing group that I work for is in
danger of being dissolved unless we can come up with some "hard"
evidence that our department is valuable.>>
A great starting point would be to examine the past few years of
_Technical Communication_ for case studies and the like. A quick
(not comprehensive by any means) check of my bookshelf reveals that
the August 1997 issue has a few relevant articles, and the February
1995 issue is wholly devoted to measuring value added. None of these
articles is likely to precisely match your situation, but each one
should provide useful strategies that you can adapt to your own
situation. Good luck!
--Geoff Hart @8^{)}
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"Microsoft Word: It grows on you... but with a little fungicide,
you'll be feeling much better real soon now!"--GH
