info_mapping
Documentation is driven by the performance requirements of the reader.
What needs to be done? What has to be known to do it? Documentation
should contain the required content with no extraneous material.
How do we do that?
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o Gather what kind of information the reader is searching for.
o Break that information down into logical building blocks.
o Piece it back together for quick and easy access.
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To the reader there are seven important kinds of information. By
identifying each type, the writer can eliminate mixing and matching
information modes leading to information overload & mix match.
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o PROCEDURES
These entail a step by step explanation of how something
is done.
A house is build step by step.
o PROCESS
The process describes a view of how something came into
being. It takes a broad view of the whole picture.
A house is a dream in an architect's mind that may remind him
of another place in time. As the house was designed it may of
taken into account a southernly exposure to high winds.
o PRINCIPLE
This expresses a guideline that works. Relaxing after a long day
helps extend our life.
A house built on sand may wash away in the rain.
o FACT
Just the facts, Sargent Joe Friday would say. Height, weight, color
or eyes and so forth.
The house was burned down late Friday after a lightening storm.
o CONCEPT
The concept express the purpose behind the object.
A house could become an office with the right connection to corporate
America.
o STRUCTURE
The way something is put together is explained.
The house was composed of stone with a solid rock foundation.
o CLASSIFICATION
Breaking the subject down into various parts.
Houses with basements, houses with attics and houses with porches.
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Documentation first must gather information. Then it must be processed
according to the type of information. It is then formatted for access
and comprehension.
Break down documentation to manageable pieces; the mind can absorb on
a computer from 3 to 7 pieces of information.
Put related information together, exclude unrelated information.
Make sure the document is consistent.
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o Give each manageable piece a label.
o Organize information into a hierarchy.
o Use integrated graphics for better comprehension.
Write for the lowest level of reader, provide access routes for more
experienced users or specialized functions. Detail should be accessible
with in 3 key strokes or users will turn somewhere else for information.
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Allow the writer to move from general to specific back to general.
A table of contents is the intersection of pieces of information and
their label.
The following statistics have been reported from organizations that went
from a normal documentation effort to an information mapped documentation
effort.
Organizations report:
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55% fewer errors
38% increased use of materials
30-40% lower training costs
25-50% lower documentation costs
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Information that passes through this process forms a vital link to
allow a smooth documentation flow. A company with this type of rigor
in place can automate much of the day to day complexity of business
itself. In our area alone the following could be used as on line data:
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o Personnel
o Company Vision
o Plans
o Maps to sites
o Training (external, internal)
o organization charts
o projects
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