Commonsensical Documentation is a guide to simple, lean, and agile technical writing. When you ask people what they expect when they read technical documents, many will probably tell you: long, boring, and hard to understand.
This can lead to disastrous outcomes:
• No one reads it – because it is too boring or long
• No one can understand it – it has too much jargon or technical terms
• Does not provide enough information – it is unclear or vague, assumes reader has more knowledge than they do
• Inaccurate – it is incomplete, is misleading, flat-out wrong, or not kept up-to-date
In today’s world of economic crisis, we have all become more cost focused, whether we like it or not. It is common to see stakeholders and clients reduce budgets and insist on faster turnaround times. Unfortunately when looking for ways to do this, documentation is one of the first things cut. Any documentation that is not desirable is considered to be of no value or a waste of time.
This course is about blending the best practices of communication and technical writing with a little common sense. By combining these principles technical writers and business analysts can produce documentation that will be valuable and appreciated.
The last time someone told you to K.I.S.S—Keep It Simple Stupid, did it make you want to tell them what they could kiss? After all if it was easy to write great documentation, I would not have written this course and you certainly would not be taking it.
For thousands of years, man has been struggling with the ability to effectively communicate and record information. The ever-changing world of IT (Information Science and Technology) has added to that struggle. Hundreds of templates, methodologies, and experts are willing to provide you with help. Do they make it easier, or just add to the complication?
This course is targeted to business analysts, project managers, and technical writers at all levels. Those just starting out who want to learn more about creating good documentation as well as seasoned writers who just want to add more polish to their deliverables. If you have ever found yourself writing boring or complicated documentation, then you are sure to find useful information in this course.
Your Instructor
Through more than 20 years of diverse experience in the ever-changing digital marketing arena, Deena has built a solid reputation for delivering award-winning work. Deena has managed and lead teams in scope definition, requirements management, architecture, design, build, deployment, and optimization. She is known for her ability to infuse innovative processes and techniques that facilitate strong collaboration between Technology, Business, and Creative teams.
Deena is also a pubic speaker and author of the CommonSensical Series: A Guide for Project Managers and Business Analysts. A series of eBooks and presentations that focus on bring some needed common sense back into the complex world of interactive project delivery.