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:Re: Time Estimation Question From:Donald Le Vie <dlevie -at- VLINE -dot- NET> Date:Tue, 29 Jun 1999 13:33:57 -0500
I would provide an estimate on all other services BUT the one you're having
trouble with. That's more of a usability issue than an editing issue.
Different set of requirements....
Donn Le Vie
Director, Information Development
Integrated Concepts, Inc.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Letty Smith [SMTP:lsmith -at- CTILIMITED -dot- COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 1:10 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Time Estimation Question
>
> I have searched the archives and wasn't able to come up with a good answer
> to this question. Hopefully, some of you out there have faced a similar
> situation and can give me some advice.
>
> I am working on editing a set of online help documents for a software
> product. The editing is a comprehensive one, designed to:
> Fix grammar errors
> Improve the clarity
> Spell check
> Reformat long documents into managable sections
> Include screen prints of processes and buttons
> Provide consistent naming conventions
> Check that each field on the software matches the documentation
> Run each process that the software can do, and make sure that the
> software actually does it the way that the documentation says it
> does.
>
> The last item is the one that is stumping me. This is very complicated
> software, and running any one of the processes takes somewhere between 1
> minute and 3 hours (depending on how much previous data I have to load and
> create for testing). I have had tests take a whole day to finish, when
> the
> system was feeling buggy. They have also taken 20 seconds.
>
> Does anyone have a good rule of thumb as to how to estimate how long this
> sort of editing should take? I'd like to be able to present my manager
> with some guesstimation, as I'm starting to get the "gee, what are you
> DOING with your time" looks. Currently, there is no method being used to
> estimate how long it should take, so any help would be an improvement.
>
> How about for this sort of edit *without* the software testing?
>
> Letty Smith
>
>
> From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=
> =
>
