Technical communication

(Project)

For
B.Sc.IT IV Semester

SUBMITTED BY: GURPREET KAUR

ROLL NO- 1308002244

SUBMITTED TO: MRS.HARPREET KAUR.

B.TECh (COMPUTER SCIENCE) & MCA

Q1. Define a technical writer, what he writes and their tool list/skill sets while
writing a technical document.

Ans. Technical Communication (also referred to as technical writing) is the art and
science of making technical information easier to understand and use. It’s a process of
creating, designing and transmitting technical information so that people can understand
it easily and use it safely, effectively, and efficiently.
Technical writers are the people who write.
 technical and software manuals
 handbooks
 proposals
 technical guides
 application notes
 tutorials
 performance reports
 data sheets
 online help
 technical and product briefs
To be precise, anyone who writes about technology for other people is typically referred
to as a technical writer. Furthermore, these technical writers require some technical
writing skills. In the information technology realm, project managers and analysts write a
large number of technical documents that must be clear and concise. A technical writer
is still looked upon as someone who explains the product to the end user. It is not
necessary that technical writers should be programmers or have more than a general
understanding of the technology. But technical writers must have the ability to learn
about a new product and then explain it to others. So people with training in journalism,
teaching, and writing along with technical savvy can grow to be the best technical
writers. Today, both technical adaptability and writing/communication skills are essential
for technical writers to succeed. Technical writers enjoy learning and reading. They find
writing comfortable, though they aren’t perfect; typically revising their work many times.
They are both creative and orderly. Moreover, they put themselves in the end user’s
position. When technical writers approach a new piece of technology, they equip
themselves with an eagerness and unconditional mind to learn new things through
observation. As they interact with and learn the software, they identify the information
needs of the software users. They must be able to communicate well with programmers
and customers, and extract information from them in a professional and personable
manner. A technical writer's primary tool is the English language. Secondly, they use
proprietary software like Microsoft Word, Frame Maker, and Robo Help; or –
increasingly – free and open source documentation software such as Doc Book and
Wiki. In the course of their careers, technical writers learn dozens of other software
packages and tools, and then teach them to others.

Characteristics of Technical Communication

Technical Communication – Targets a Specific Reader
The most significant characteristics of technical communication is that you have to
customize the information for a particular reader. This method is to bring in personal
warmth to your document. Sometimes you will be aware of your potential reader, then
your job is easy. For instance, writing a proposal to your manager. There you will think
about that person’s background, responsibilities, history with organization, attitudes and
alike. While preparing the proposal you will be considering these factors to entice the
manager and to make it very effective. Imagine a situation, where you are writing to
several people with diverse needs. There you have to create a hypothetical profile by
picking commonalities of the potential readers.

Technical Communication – Helps readers solve problems

Lindsey Robbins describes technical communication as a conversation between the
user and the technical writer – in the sense that the technical writer must anticipate the
questions a user would ask about the software. Robbins states that ”Sometimes, your
users or constituents won't know the correct question to ask. In those situations, try to
think out the questions for them and answer them in advance. Provide them with the
conversation starter and they're more likely to be engaged. People read technical
communication to help them solve problems; people also write and distribute technical
communication to help solve problems.

Technical Communication – Part of organizational context

Technical Communication is created by people working within or for an organization to
further its goals. Consider, for example, Education Department that oversees the
programs in vocational education. Every activity undertaken by the department involves
technical communication. The Educational Department submits an annual report to the
government. This envisages each vocational program offered by the department,
indicating what need it was intended to address, who delivered it, who enrolled in it,
where and when it was offered, how much it cost, and how much money was
generated. The report also covers the success and failures of each program and offers
recommendations on how to make it more effective next time. The concerned
department also produces a vast quantity of technical information for the public as well
in the form of flyers, brochures, pamphlets and even radio, print and television
advertisements to publicize its offerings. Furthermore, the course material in the form of
texts, work books, audio and video support materials forms a part of technical
communication.

Technical Communication – Created collaboratively

Technical communicators are not a separate entity; they work with other creative people
like production specialists, lawyers, subject matter experts and technical professionals
to create a better document to convey the synergy and creativity of the thus made
collaboration. Collaboration is common in technical communication because no one
person has all the information, skill and time to put together a big document. Because of
the collaborative nature of technical communication, inter-personal skills are very
essential. Technical writer should be able to listen to people with other views, express
views clearly and diplomatically, and compromise.

Technical Communication – Synergy of words and graphics

Technical Communication is an effective combination of words and graphical images.
Graphical images can clearly convey complex concepts which cannot be easily
conveyed through words. Moreover, they can describe, communicate instructions, and
also communicate large amount of quantifiable data. It can also communicate with non-
native speakers of English and make the document more interesting and appealing to
readers. Therefore, for narrative purpose a writer can depend on words and for
simplification of concepts, can depend on graphics. In short, Technical Communication
is a synergy of both words and graphics.

Technical Communication – Involves visualization

Design features make the technical document more effective and user friendly to the
reader, as 80% of the communication is through non-verbal cues. Technical
communicators visualize documents for the following purposes.
1. To make the document attractive, as a good design can entice the reader into the
textual content
2. To help the reader navigate the document. Normally, technical documents are
lengthy and run to many pages, and most readers want to ready only parts of it. Design
features help them to see where they are and what they want from the text
3. To help the reader understand the document. Design features help in the
organization of the content, and a reader can easily recognize the patterns, colors, size
of the design elements, and be able to better understand the document.

Technical Communication – Involves high-tech tools

Technical Communication is produced on high-tech tools. The personal computer along
with the printer is used in every phase of the document production. Technical writer
uses word – processing software; graphics software and desktop publishing software for
the completion of technical communication. As Information technology develops,
becoming more powerful, easier to use, and less expensive, technical communicators
and technical professionals alike are continuously upgrading their skills.

There are five skills in the technical writer:

1. Facility with technology
Technical writer must have the potential to grasp technology. They should have a bent
towards one of the sciences, and can understand the inner workings of cells or atoms.
They have to be web savvy and know how to interpret code. Besides these, they should
be curious about how things work. Moreover, one can learn technologies they don’t
understand, if they have the motivation. This understanding brings a sense of
achievement and knowledge that is rewarding at the end of the day.

2. Ability to write clearly

The essential skill of any technical communicator is to disambiguate. Their core job will
consist of studying complicated things and explaining them in easy-to-understand ways.
They can’t just pass off explanations that no one can fully understand. Writing about
something, as opposed to talking about it, requires more understanding. Avoid passive
sentences and long constructions. Define acronyms and avoid assumptions about what
the user knows.

3. Talent in showing ideas graphically

Any time one can show an idea graphically, they can score a hundred points with the
reader. People understand better when they can communicate their ideas visually.
These images go a long way toward making their writing clear.

4. Patience in problem-solving/troubleshooting
Unless you have patience, you’ll never make it. Much of IT work consists of problem
solving. It’s amazing how a seemingly impossible problem can be solved with a little
patience and persistence.

5. Ability to interact with Cross-Functional Teams (CFTs)

Interacting with CFTs is one of the most overlooked skills in technical writing. You have
to be part investigative reporter, part journalist. You can’t be shy about going after
certain people to extract information. And you can’t be too proud to ask the “dumb
technical questions” that make engineers do double-takes. A lot of this interaction can
come about if you’re lucky enough to simply sit near the CFT members.

Que2. Write an user manual for a gadget of choice. Ex TV, Refrigerator, DVD
player, computer etc.

Ans. A computer is a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform

prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of
these operations, all under the control of software. Mainframes, desktop and laptop
computers, tablets and smartphones are some of the different types of computers. An
electronic machine which helps in solving problems quickly and easily. It solves
problems according to instructions given to it by the computer user called programs or
software. It is a digital machine used in all fields.
Automation

Most humans have a problem with math. To show this, try doing 584 × 3,220 in your
head. It is hard to remember all the steps! People made tools to help them remember
where they were in a math’s problem. The other problem people have is that they have
to do the same problem over and over and over again. A cashier had to make change
every day in her head or with a piece of paper. That took a lot of time and made
mistakes. So, people made calculators that did those same things over and over. This
part of computer history is called the "history of automated calculation," which is a fancy
phrase for "the history of machines that make it easy for me to do this same math’s
problem over and over without making mistakes."

The abacus, the slide rule, the astrolabe and the Antikythera mechanism are examples
of automated calculation machines.

Programming

People did not want a machine that would do the same thing over and over again. For
example, a music box is a machine that plays the same music over and over again.
Some people wanted to be able to tell their machine to do different things. For example,
they wanted to tell the music box to play different music every time. They wanted to be
able to program the music box- to order the music box to play different music. This part
of computer history is called the "history of programmable machines" which is a fancy
phrase for "The history of machines that I can order to do different things if I know how
to speak their language."

One of the first examples of this was built by Hero of Alexandria. He built a mechanical
theater which performed a play lasting 10 minutes and was operated by a complex
system of ropes and drums. These ropes and drums were the language of the machine-
they told what the machine did and when. Some people argue that this is the first
programmable machine.

Historians disagree on which early machines are "computers". Many say the "castle
clock", an astronomical clock invented by Al-Jazari in 1206, is the first known
programmable analog computer. Others say the first computer was made by Charles
Babbage. Al - Jazari’s showed the zodiac, the solar and lunar orbits, a crescent moon-
shaped pointer travelling across a gateway that made some doors to open every
hour,[3][4] and five robotic musicians who play music when levers hit them. The length of
day and night could be changed every day in order to account for the changing lengths
of day and night throughout the year. Ada Lovelace is considered to be the first
programmer.

The Computing Era

At the end of the Middle Ages, people in Europe thought math and engineering were
more important. In 1623, Wilhelm Schickard made a mechanical calculator. Other
Europeans made more calculators after him. They were not modern computers because
they could only add, subtract, and multiply- you could not change what they did to make
them do something like play Tetris. Because of this, we say they were not
programmable. Now engineers use computers to design and plan.

In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard used punched paper cards to tell his textile loom what
kind of pattern to weave. He could use punch cards to tell the loom what to do, and he
could change the punch cards, which means he could program the loom to weave the
pattern he wanted. This means the loom was programmable.

Charles Babbage wanted to make a similar machine that could calculate. He called it
"The Analytical Engine". Because Babbage did not have enough money and always
changed his design when he had a better idea, he never built his Analytical Engine.

As time went on, computers were used more. People get bored easily doing the same
thing over and over. Imagine spending your life writing things down on index cards,
storing them, and then having to go find them again. The U.S. Census Bureau in 1890
had hundreds of people doing just that. It was expensive, and reports took a long time.
Then an engineer worked out how to make machines do a lot of the work. Herman
Hollerith invented a tabulating machine that would automatically add up information that
the Census bureau collected. The Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation made
his machines. They leased the machines instead of selling them. Makers of machines
had long helped their users understand and repair them, and CTR's tech support was
especially good. Because of machines like this, new ways of talking to these machines
were invented, and new types of machines were invented, and eventually the computer
as we know it was born.

Analog and Digital Computers

In the first half of the 20th century, scientists started using computers, mostly because
scientists had a lot of math to figure out and wanted to spend more of their time thinking
about science questions instead of spending hours adding numbers together. For
example, if they had to launch a rocket ship, they needed to do a lot of math to make
sure the rocket worked right. So they put together computers. These analog computers
used analog circuits, which made them very hard to program. In the 1930s, they
invented digital computers, and soon made them easier to program. 1950s computers
were built out of mostly vacuum tubes. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in the 1960s
because they were smaller and cheaper. They also need less power and do not break
down as much as vacuum tubes. In the 1970s, technologies were based on integrated
circuits. Microprocessors, such as the Intel 4004 made computers smaller, cheaper,
faster and more reliable. By the 1980s, microcontrollers became small and cheap
enough to replace mechanical controls in things like washing machines. The 1980s also
saw home computers and personal computers. With the evolution of the Internet,
personal computers are becoming as common as the television and the telephone in
the household.
In 2005 Nokia started to call some of its mobile phones "multimedia computers" and
after the launch of the Apple iPhone in 2007, many are now starting to add the smart
phone category among "real" computers. In 2008, if smart phones are included in the
numbers of computers in the world, the biggest computer maker by units sold, was no
longer Hewlett-Packard, but rather Nokia.

Kinds of computers

1. personal computer
2. Workstation computer
3. mainframe computer
4. minicomputer
5. supercomputer
6. embedded system
7. Tablet computer

A "desktop computer" is a small machine that has a screen. Most people keep them on
top of a desk, which is why they are called "desktop computers." "Laptop computers"
are computers small enough to fit on your lap. This makes them easy to carry around.
Both laptops and desktops are called personal computers, because one person at a
time uses them for things like playing music, surfing the web, or playing video games.

There are bigger computers that many people at a time can use. These are called
"Mainframes," and these computers do all the things that make things like the internet
work. You can think of a personal computer like this: the personal computer is like your
skin: you can see it, other people can see it, and through your skin you feel wind, water,
air, and the rest of the world. A mainframe is more like your internal organs: you never
see them, and you barely even think about them, but if they suddenly went missing, you
would have some very big problems.

An embedded computer, also called embedded system is a computer that does one
thing and one thing only, and usually does it very well. For example, an alarm clock is
an embedded computer: it tells the time. Unlike your personal computer, you cannot use
your clock to play Tetris. Because of this, we say that embedded computers cannot be
programmed, because you cannot install more programs on your clock. Some mobile
phones, automatic teller machines, microwave ovens, CD players and cars are
operated by embedded computers.

Working methods

Computers store data and the instructions as numbers, because computers can do
things with numbers very quickly. These data are stored as binary symbols. A 1 or a 0
symbol stored by a computer is called a bit, which comes from the words binary digit.
Computers can use many bits together to represent instructions and the data that these
instructions use. A list of instructions is called a program and is stored on the
computer's hard disk. Computers work through the program by using a central
processing unit, and they use fast memory called RAM as a space to store the
instructions and data while they are doing this. When the computer wants to store the
results of the program for later, it uses the hard disk because things stored on a hard
disk can still be remembered after the computer is turned off.

An operating system tells the computer how to understand what jobs it has to do, how to
do these jobs, and how to tell people the results. Millions of computers may be using the
same operating system, while each computer can have its own application programs to
do what its user needs. Using the same operating systems makes it easy to learn how
to use computers for new things. A user who needs to use a computer for something
different, can learn how to use a new application program. Some operating systems can
have simple command lines or a fully user-friendly GUI.

The Internet
One of the most important jobs that computers do for people is helping with
communication. Communication is how people share information. Computers have
helped people move forward in science, medicine, business, and learning, because they
let experts from anywhere in the world work with each other and share information.
They also let other people communicate with each other, do their jobs almost anywhere,
learn about almost anything, or share their opinions with each other. The Internet is the
thing that lets people communicate between their computers.
Computers and waste

A computer is now almost always an electronic device. It usually contains materials that
will become electronic waste when discarded. When a new computer is bought in some
places, laws require that the cost of its waste management must also be paid for. This is
called product stewardship.

Computers can become obsolete quickly, depending on what programs the user runs.
Very often, they are thrown away within two or three years, because some newer
programs require a more powerful computer. This makes the problem worse, so
computer recycling happens a lot. Many projects try to send working computers to
developing nations so they can be re-used and will not become waste as quickly, as
most people do not need to run new programs. Some computer parts, such as hard
drives, can break easily. When these parts end up in the landfill, they can put poisonous
chemicals like lead into the ground water. Hard drives can also contain secret
information like credit card numbers. If the hard drive is not erased before being thrown
away, an identity thief can get the information from the hard drive, even if the drive
doesn't work, and use it to steal money from the previous owner's bank account.

Main hardware

Computers come in different forms, but most of them have a common design.

 All computers have a CPU.

  All computers have some kind of data bus which lets them get inputs or output
things to the environment.
 All computers have some form of memory. These are usually chips which can
hold information.
 Many computers have some kind of sensors, which lets them get input from their
environment.
 Many computers have some kind of display device, which lets them show output.
They may also have other peripheral devices connected.

A computer has several main parts. When comparing a computer to a human body, the
CPU is like a brain. It does most of the 'thinking' and tells the rest of the computer how
to work. The CPU is on the Motherboard, which is like the skeleton. It provides the basis
for where the other parts go, and carries the nerves that connect them to each other
and the CPU. The motherboard is connected to a power supply, which provides
electricity to the entire computer. The various drives act like eyes, ears, and fingers, and
allow the computer to read different types of storage, in the same way that a human can
read different types of books. The hard drive is like a human's memory, and keeps track
of all the data stored on the computer. Most computers have a sound card or another
method of making sound, which is like vocal cords, or a voice box. Connected to the
sound card are speakers, which are like a mouth, and are where the sound comes out.
Computers might also have a graphics card, which helps the computer to create visual
effects, such as 3D environments, or more realistic colors, and more powerful graphics
cards can make more realistic or more advanced images, in the same way a well
trained artist can.

Que3. Audience types and the kind of information that needs to go into a document,
make a list of points that is required to analyze your audience. Create a Audience
Profile Sheet.
Ans. All technical communication is done with a particular end in mind. The purpose is
usually to facilitate the communication of ideas and concepts to the audience, but may
sometimes be used to direct the audience in a particular course of action. The
importance of the audience is in the notion that meaning is derived from the audience's
interpretation of a piece of work. The purpose may be something as simple as having
the audience understand the details of some technological system, or to take a
particular action using that system. The identification of the audience affects many
aspects of communication, from word selection and graphics usage to style and
organization. A nontechnical audience might not understand, or worse yet, even read a
document that is heavy with jargon, while a technical audience might crave extra detail
because it is critical for their work. Busy audiences do not have time to read an entire
document.

Types of Audiences
One of the first things to do when you analyze an audience is to identify its type. The
common division of audiences into categories is as follows:
Experts: These are the people who know the theory and the product inside and out.
They designed it, they tested it, and they know everything about it. Often, experts have
advanced degrees and operate in academic settings or in research and development
areas of the government and business worlds. The non-specialist reader is least likely
to understand what these people are saying-but also has the least reason to try. More
often, the communication challenge faced by the expert is communicating to the
technician and the executive.

Technicians: These are the people who build, operate, maintain, and repair the
materials that the experts design and theorize about. Theirs is a highly technical
knowledge as well, but of a more practical nature.

Executives: These are the people who make business, economic, administrative, legal,
governmental, political decisions on the material that the experts and technicians work
with. If it's a new product, they decide whether to produce and market it. If it's a new
power technology, they decide whether the city should implement it. Executives are
likely to have as little technical knowledge about the subject as non-specialists.

Non-specialists: These readers have the least technical knowledge of all. Their
interest may be as practical as technicians', but in a different way. They want to use the
new product to accomplish their tasks; they want to understand the new power
technology enough to know whether to vote for or against it in the upcoming bond
election. Or, they may just be curious about a specific technical matter and want to learn
about it – but for no specific, practical reason.

Audience Analysis

It's important to determine which of the four categories just discussed the potential
readers of your document belong to, but that's not the end of it. Audiences, regardless
of category, must also be analyzed in terms of characteristics such as the following:

Background-knowledge, experience, training: One of your most important concerns is

just how much knowledge, experience, or training you can expect in your readers. If you
expect some of your readers to lack certain background, do you automatically supply it
in your document? Consider an example: imagine you're writing a guide to using a
software product that runs under Microsoft Windows. How much can you expect your
readers to know about Windows? If some are likely to know little about Windows, should
you provide that information? If you say ‘no’, then you run the risk of customers' getting
frustrated with your product. If you say ‘yes’ to adding background information on
Windows, you increase your work effort and add to the page count of the document
(and thus to the cost). Obviously, there's no easy answer to this question – part of the
answer may involve just how small a segment of the audience needs that background
information.

Audience Profile Sheet

To analyze your audience, you have to create an audience profile sheet. You could then
fill out the sheet for each primary and secondary reader if they are few in number. This
helps technical writers to determine the best approach for their messages. Once they
receive the profile sheet, technical writers make changes in the documents to suit the
type of audience.

Audience Profile Sheet

Name: Last First Initial

Email
1. Reader's Name & Job Title.
Name
Job Title
Organization

2. Kind of Reader. Primary Secondary

3. Reader's Educational Background.

Formal Education.

Training Courses & Worshops.

4. Reader's Professional Background (previous or work experience.

5. Reader's Chief Job Responsibilities

6. Reader's Personal Characteristics.

7. Reader's Likes and Dislikes.

8. Reader's attitude toward you and the subject of the document.

Positive
Neutral
Negative
Why? In what ways?

9. Reader's Cultural Characteristics.

10. How the reader will use the document.

Skim it
Read it
Read a portion of it.
Which Portion?

Modify it and submit to another reader?

Yes No
Attempt to implement recommendations?
Yes No
Use it to perform a task or procedure?
Yes No
Use it to create another document?
Other? Yes No
Explain

11. Reader's Physical Environment

Que4. Write a document on the product of your choice, identify the SME and conduct an
interview, keeping in mind all the points identified and detailed above.
Ans. Interviewing subject matter experts is one of the most common and useful
methods for obtaining the information needed to create quality documents. Successful
SME interviews require careful research and preparation in advance. During the
interview, good listening skills, critical analysis, and the ability to maintain control of the
range and depth of the interview with appropriate tact are crucial to successful
outcomes. After the interview, give prompt attention to notes and any required follow-
through. When working with hostile SMEs or those with poor communication skills
emphasize the strengths of the relationship and develop strategies to work around any
weaknesses.
Conducting SME Interviews
Perhaps the most universal and basic method for a technical communicator to gather
information is a face-to- face interview with a subject matter expert. SMEs may be
engineers, developers, programmers, operators, clerks, or customer support personnel.
They are the people who have experience with and knowledge of a particular system,
application, product, process, or task that you need to learn about. There is a wide
variety of factors that can affect SME interviews. In most cases, the SME has a job to
do beyond taking time out of his or her busy day to talk with you. It is therefore critical to
get the right information and optimize your interview time. Given below are steps you
can take before, during, and after the interview to maximize its effectiveness, as well as
some tips for handling problematic SME interviews and relationships. The majority of
these techniques will apply whether you are a freelancer, a consultant, or a captive
writer.
Pre-Interview
Before the interview begins, there are things that you can do to build a good foundation
for a productive interview experience.

Define your objectives

Define the purpose of the interview. Are you interviewing to identify problem areas
within a process? Or are you documenting the steps a user performs to complete a
task? Once established, the purpose will help set the scope for your interview. You
should also try to establish the expected or needed level of detail for the final product.
Doing so on the front-end will ensure that you ask the right questions and at the right
level of detail.

Research the subject matter

Review any available background material before the interview. Try to get copies of any
documentation related to the task, department, company, product, or industry. Flow
charts, product data sheets, and even training materials can all be valuable sources of
information. The more background information you have going into the interview, the
better the questions you will be able to ask. You should also compile a list of questions
or an outline of topics you want to discuss during the interview. This will keep you on
track during the interview. Group your questions by subject. This enables you to cover a
topic in its entirety and enhances the perception that you are prepared.

Assemble your interview “toolkit”

Use common tools to stay organized during the interview, such as paper clips, binder
clips, folders, highlighters, Post-it Notes, and pens with different colors of ink. These
tools will help you keep your interview notes and attachments organized, so make sure
you have them handy and ready to use.

Be on time for the interview

Show respect for the SME’s busy schedule by not making him or her wait on you to
arrive at the interview. This is important whether the SME works for your company or for
a client company. Your arrival at the interview will be the SME’s first impression of you.
Make sure that impression conveys your professionalism. If you are traveling to the
interview, be sure to get good directions and leave yourself plenty of time in case you
encounter unexpected traffic.

During the Interview

Often, the face-to-face interview affords you the best opportunity to get content
information for your documentation project. It is important to manage the interview flow
so that you will have the time to cover the questions you need to get answered.

Use active listening skills

This technique is not as easy as it sounds. Hearing is not the same as listening. Hearing
is the perception of sound, whereas listening is attention to what is being said. Active
listening requires that you give the speaker your complete and undivided attention.
When you listen actively, you are focused on listening, not talking. Do not get distracted
by mentally planning your next question so that you miss the SME’s response to your
current question.

Ask open-ended questions

These are questions that require more detailed answers than a “yes” or “no” response.
Open-ended questions start with words such as “how,” “why,” or “what.” An example of
a closed-ended question would be, “Do you implement safety checks in the
manufacturing process?” The obvious answers to this question would be “yes” or “no.”
An alternative open-ended question that would prompt the SME for more detail would
be, “How do you implement safety checks in the manufacturing process?”

Politely controlling the interview

Controlling the flow of the interview is always important, but especially so when you
have tight time constraints. If the SME gets off-track, bring him or her back to the topic
by asking pointed, specific questions. Be careful not to antagonize the SME in the
process. You may need to continue to work with the person on other projects and bad
feelings could taint future interaction. Also, remember that you can offend not only with
words, but also with your tone of voice and impatient gestures. It is also important to
control the environment of the interview as much as possible. If the area in which you
are interviewing is distracting, ask if there is another location, such as an empty office or
conference room, where you can continue the interview. In some cases, such as when
the interviewee needs to use their computer to demonstrate a task, you may be tied to a
certain location. However, you can try other tactics like asking if the interviewee can put
their phone calls directly into voicemail. Ultimately, you may be forced to make the best
of a bad situation.

Paraphrase information and repeat it back to the SME

This is particularly helpful when covering complex material. Paraphrasing reinforces
your understanding of the information. If you cannot repeat the information in your own
words, you probably do not understand it well enough to write about it. This is a definite
sign that you need to ask more questions about the subject matter.

Use critical thinking skills to identify gaps in the information

The SME may not be able to explain the information in a logical sequence, but if you
mentally rearrange the information into a chronological or sequential order, you are
more likely to spot any gaps in the process flow. This is critical for task- or process
related documentation. This technique works well when combined with the paraphrasing
technique discussed above.

Be accurate
Make sure you get the correct spelling of names, job titles, systems, departments, etc.
Inaccuracies in the product reflect badly on the writer even though the error may have
resulted from incorrect information provided by the SME. This more than anything, will
add to or detract from your reputation as a technical writer.

Organize your materials

Use paper clips, binder clips, folders, Post-it Notes, highlighters, pens with different colors of
ink, and other tools as appropriate help you keep your interview notes and attachments
organized. It is helpful to mark areas of my notes where you need to go back and follow up or
clarify information with the SME later in the interview. An example of this is the point at which a
procedure branches. You will probably need to document both branches of the procedure, but it
is much easier to follow one path at a time. Use highlighters or sticky notes to mark references
in the notes to forms and exhibits you need to collect after the interview. An alternate method of
doing this is to keep a running list of the items you need to get. Either method works, just be
sure you try to get those items before you leave the interview, while you have the SME’s
attention and while the material is fresh.

Don’t make promises to the SME that you are not authorized to make
Do not promise a draft or a finished product to the SME by a specific date unless you
have consulted with the project or product manager and the rest of the development
team. This will create problems by setting up unrealistic expectations. If you are a
consultant, do not promise services to the SME that may go beyond the scope of the
contract or budget. If appropriate, discuss any questionable requests with your project
manager. Any services that fall outside the scope of the project may require a new
contract or additional fee negotiation.

Closing the Interview

At the end of the interview, there are still a few things you can do to reinforce success.
Ideally, at this point you and the SME have established a good working relationship and
you feel pretty good about the information you got during the interview.

Thank the SMEs for their time

Commonly, SMEs are assigned by their bosses to assist writers with projects. Even
though the SME’s may not benefit directly from the end product. You have to thank
there for the time spent with you for the above mentioned task.

Ask for permission to follow up

By asking permission to follow up, you can determine whether the SME is open to
additional contact. If the SME grants your request for follow-up questions, discuss how
future contact should be handled. The SME may prefer to handle your questions by e-
mail rather than by phone, or you may collectively decide to embed the questions in the
appropriate location of the
draft document, assuming that the SME will get a chance to review the draft.

Que5. Choose an object or subject of your choice and in detail describe its parts and
functions. Ex TV, shoe, torch, baby’s diaper among others.
Ans. Most things can be described in terms of structure and function – political systems,
body organs, games, and systems. Structure is Platonic in the sense that it
approximates an ideal form. Function is Aristotelian, in that it describes the uses we
have for things. A Platonist might describe a horse as a beast with four legs, a tail, and
a long back. An Aristotelian could describe the same horse as a beast for riding and
even go a step further to give instructions for riding the beast. Technical writers combine
both philosophies in their everyday work. It’s just another thing that makes technical
writing such an interesting profession.

General Description of a Long-Distance Running Shoe

When track and field events became sanctioned sports in the modern world some
hundred and fifty years ago, the running shoe was much like any other: a heavy, high-
topped leather shoe with a leather or rubber sole. In the last two decades, however,
advances in technology have combined with increased competition among
manufacturers to create long-distance running shoes that fulfill the two goals of all
runners: decreased injuries and increased speed.

Introduction
This paper is a generalized description of a modern, high-tech shoe for long distance
running.
The modern distance running shoe has five major components:
 the outsole
 the heel wedge
  the midsole
 the insole
 the shell

The Components
In the following sections, the five principal components of the shoe are discussed from
bottom to top.

The Outsole
The outsole is made of a lightweight, rubber like synthetic material. Its principal function is to
absorb the runner’s energy safely as the foot lands on the surface. As the runner’s foot
approaches the surface, it supinates – rolls outward. As the foot lands, it pronates – rolls inward.
Through tread design and increased stiffness on the innerside, the outsole helps reduce inward
rolling. Inward rolling is a major cause of foot, knee, and tendon injuries because of the
magnitude of the force generated during running. The force on the foot as it touches the running
surface can be up to three times the runner’s weight. And the acceleration transmitted to the leg
can be 10 times the force of gravity.

The Heel Wedge

The heel wedge is a flexible platform that absorbs shock. Its purpose is to prevent injury
to the Achilles tendon. Like the outsole, it is constructed of increasingly stiff materials on
the inner side to reduce foot rolling.

The Midsole
The midsole is made of expanded foam. Like the outsole and the heel wedge, it reduces
foot rolling. But it also is the most important component in absorbing shock. From the
runner’s point of view, running efficiency and shock absorption are at odds. The safest
shoe would have a midsole of thick padding that would crush uniformly as the foot hits
the running surface.
A constant rate of deceleration would ensure the best shock absorption. However,
absorbing all the shock would mean absorbing all the energy. As a result, the runner’s
next stride would require more energy. The most efficient shoe would have a foam
insole that is perfectly elastic. It would return all the energy back to the foot, so that the
next stride requires less energy. Currently, distance shoes have midsoles designed to
return 40 percent of the runner’s energy back to the foot.

The Insole
The insole, on which the runner’s foot rests, is another layer of shock absorbing
material. Its principal function, however, is to provide an arch support, a relatively new
feature in running shoes.

The Shell
The shell is made of leather and synthetic materials such as nylon. It holds the soles on
the runner’s foot and provides ventilation. The shell accounts for about one-third of the
nine ounces a modern shoe weighs.
Conclusion
Today, scientific research on the way people run has led to great improvements in the
design and manufacture of different kinds of running shoes. The results are a
lightweight, shock-absorbing running shoe that balances the needs of safety and
increased speed.

Que6. Most articles of writing follow either the British or the American English. The idea
here is to know enough what goes where. It is important that the writer learns and
adheres to what differentiates the two. List 25 examples for differences between British
and American English.
Ans. American and British English
American English is the form of English written and used in America. It includes the
dialects used within the United States of American. British English is the form of English
written and used in United Kingdom. It includes the dialects used within the United
Kingdom.

The difference between the English used in Britain and United States, is mainly found in
the pronunciation and vocabulary, which includes spelling. American English has been
a fertile source of new words and usages.

American coining, many reflecting the changing patterns of life in the 20 th century, are
now part of World English. Others include buzz words and expressions such as
blueprint for success and lifestyle, slang and informal usages.

Americans also evolved their own forms of spelling. Promoted by the great
lexicographer Noah Webster, these spellings were simpler, more logical and
etymologically better than which was practiced by British English.

I. Word ending in ‘-our’ became ‘-or’: color, armor, neighbor

II. British ‘-re’ became ‘-er’: meter, liter, center
III. British ‘double l’ became single: traveling
IV. Some British ‘single l’ became double: skilful became skillful , rationalizing the
idea that ‘skillful’ is derived from the word ‘skill’.
V. British ‘-s’ became ‘-z’: rationalize, terrorize
VI. Other words were spelt the way they were pronounced: cheque became check,
programmers became program, tire became tire, pajamas became pajamas,
bonnets and boots became hoods and trunks, lifts became elevators

We should also be careful while writing the date. The difference in short form date order
can lead to misunderstanding. For example, 02/03/08 could mean either March 2, 2005
(if read as British format), 3 February 2008 (if seen as in American format).

British English American English

Trousers Pants
Jumper/ Pullover / Sweater/ Jersey Sweater
Vest Undershirt
Waistcoat Vest
Wellington Boots/Wellies Galoshes
Mac (slang for Macintosh) Rain coat
Trainers Sneakers
Braces Suspenders
Polo neck Turtle neck
Friend / mate Friend
Rubber eraser
Maths Math
Public school Private school
State school Public school
Holiday Vacation
Staff room Teachers lounge
Mucking around / off task Off task / fooling around / goofing off
Play time / break time recess
Open day Open house
Marking scheme Grading scheme
Drawing pins Push pins or thumbtacks
Sleeping policeman / speed bump Speed bump
Car park Parking lot
Car journey /drive Road trip
Zebra crossing / pedestrian walk Cross walk

Que7. Develop your own SDLC model with details on each phase on a project of your
choice.
Ans. The Systems Development Life Cycle is a conceptual model used in project
management that describes the stages involved in an information system development
project from an initial feasibility study through maintenance of the completed application.
Various SDLC methodologies have been developed to guide the processes involved
including the waterfall model, rapid application development, joint application
development, the fountain model and the spiral model. Mostly, several models are
combined into some sort of hybrid methodology. Documentation is crucial regardless of
the type of model chosen or devised for any application, and is usually done in parallel
with the development process. Some methods work better for specific types of projects,
but in the final analysis, the most important factor for the success of a project may be
how closely a particular plan was followed.

The image below is the classic Waterfall model methodology, which is the first SDLC
method and it describes the various phases involved in development.
 Feasibility

Analysis

Design

Implement

Test

Maintain

SDLC Phases

Feasibility
The feasibility study is used to determine if the project should get the go ahead. If the
project is to proceed, the feasibility study will produce a project plan and budget
estimates for the future stages of development.

Requirement Analysis and Design

Analysis gathers the requirements for the system. This stage includes a detailed study
of the business needs of the organization. Options for changing the business process
may be considered. Design focuses on high level design like, what programs are
needed and how are they going to interact, low-level design, interface design and data
design. During these phases, the software's overall structure is defined. Analysis and
Design are very crucial in the whole development cycle. Any glitch in the design phase
could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development. Much
care is taken during this phase. The logical system of the product is developed in this
phase.

Implementation
In this phase, the designs are translated into code. Computer programs are written
using a conventional programming language or an application generator. Programming
tools like Compilers, Interpreters, Debuggers are used to generate the code. Different
high level programming languages like C, C++, Pascal, Java are used for coding. With
respect to the type of application, the right programming language is chosen.

Testing
In this phase the system is tested. Normally programs are written as a series of
individual modules, these subjects to separate and detailed test. The system is then
tested as a whole. The separate modules are brought together and tested as a
complete system. The system is tested to ensure that interfaces between modules
work, the system works on the intended platform and with the expected volume of data
and that the system does what the user requires.

Maintenance
Inevitably the system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change
once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for the change. Change
could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. In addition,
the changes in the system could directly affect the software operations. The software
should be developed to accommodate changes that could happen during the post
implementation period.

Que8. Create an interesting power point deck incorporating all the grammar set points
given below. This is your chance to get creative and give a personal touch to something
that needs to stay with you all through your writing career. Make it funny, make it
serious, use cartoons, thought balloons, family trees anything that helps you remember
and understand better.

 Types of nouns with examples for each.

 Articles used in English language with examples.

 Types of pronouns with examples.

 Prepositions and relations expressed by prepositions.

 Categorize verbs and explain the relationship between verbs and tenses with
examples.

 Types of Adjectives with examples for correct usage.

  What are adverbs, list of types of adverbs with usage.

 What are conjunctions, list the classes with appropriate examples.

 What is an injunction, make a deck with examples.

 What is a sentence, list out types of sentences with examples.

 What is a clause? List out types with example.

Ans. Kinds of Nouns
1. Proper Noun: They are the names of a particular place, person or thing. They
name specific or one-of-a-kind items. Proper nouns always begin with capital
letters. E.g.: France, Tim, the Ganges, the Eiffel Tower
2. Common Noun: They are the names given to every person, place or thing of the
same class. They identify the general variety. Common nouns require
capitalization only if they start the sentence or are part of a title. E.g.: student,
city, river, dog.
3. Collective Noun: They are the names given when a number of persons or things
are taken together as a whole. E.g.: crowd, flock, swarm.
4. Abstract Noun: We cannot see them as the other nouns. They are the names
given to qualities, actions and states of being that cannot be felt,
seen or heard. E.g.: beauty, charity, laughter, childhood.

Articles: In English, articles may be classified as Indefinite and Definite.

1. Definite article: It is used before a noun that is specified. „The’ is the definite article.
2. Indefinite articles: They are used before a noun which is not specified. „A’ and „An’
are the indefinite articles.
Definite Article Usage: „The‟ is used-
 before singular and plural nouns when the noun is particular or specific. E.g.:
The apple tree is full of fruits. (specific noun –singular).
 before non-countable nouns that are made more specific. E.g.: The coffee in my
cup is too hot to drink.
 before a noun refers to something unique. E.g.: The theory of relativity.
 before names of rivers, oceans and seas. E.g.: The Ganges, the Pacific
 before points on the globe. E.g.: The Equator, the North Pole
 before geographical areas. E.g.: The Middle East, the West
 before deserts, forests, gulfs and peninsulas. E.g.: The Sahara, the Persian Gulf,
the Black Forest, the Indian Peninsula
 before certain well-known or sacred books. E.g.: The Mahabharata, The Bible,
The Midsummer Night’s Dream
 before an adjective in the superlative degree. E.g.: Nisha is the shortest girl in
the office.
 before certain adjectives to give a plural meaning. E.g. The rich = rich people
Indefinite articles – Usage
  We use „a‟ when the noun we are referring to begins with a consonant sound.
E.g.: a city, a bird
 We use „an‟ when the noun we are referring to begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)
sound. E.g.: an apple, an umbrella.
Pronoun is used as a proxy to the proper noun to avoid repetition of the nouns.
1. Reflexive Pronouns: Here the action reflects back on the noun. When the
subject and object refer to the same person, reflexive pronoun is used.
I must blame myself for this.
Behave yourself.
He killed himself.
2. Emphatic Pronouns: They are used to emphasize the subject of the sentence.

I myself will take you there

You yourself are to be blamed
Prepositions
Prepositions are the words, which tell us about the relations of the nouns, pronouns,
and adjectives in a sentence. Their position is before (pre) the noun. Hence they are
said to govern the noun. The noun which follows is said to be the object of the
preposition.

Relations Expressed by Prepositions

1. Preposition of Time: on, in, at, for, before, after, until, till, between, by, upto.
E.g.: She was healthy till yesterday.
2. Preposition of Place: to, at, from, away, on, onto, of, in, into, out, upon, inside,
within, by, over, above, on top of, behind, in front of, below, beneath, across, through,
all over, throughout, between, among. E.g.:
Where do you come from?
3. Preposition of Method and Manner: by, with. E.g.: The boys skipped going to
school with audacity.
4. Preposition of Reason and Purpose: with, of, for. E.g.: I rented a house for my
holidays
5. Preposition of Possession: of, with, by. E.g.: The tomb of Akbar is in
Sikandarabad.
6. Preposition of Direction and Motions: into, towards, up, round, across.
E.g.: They climbed into the lorry.
7. Preposition of Contrast: despite. E.g.: Despite his mistakes, he is a sincere worker.

Verbs
A verb indicates the action done by the subject. E.g.: He arrived late. Verbs can be categorized
into two groups:
1. Main verb: This tells us of what exactly happens. They are also called the ,action words.‟
E.g.: Srinivas went to his village. The word , went’ tells us what the subject ,Mohan’ has done.
2. Auxiliary verbs: They indicate the number and tense in the sentence. They are also called
„helping verbs‟ or „linking verbs.‟ E.g.: Mohan did not go with him. The helping verb „did‟
decides the time of action. So the main verb will be in the original form of „go‟.
Verb – Tenses
Tense refers to the time of action. With the change of tense, the form of the main verb
also changes.
Present Tense: Simple Present, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect
Continuous
1. Simple Present: (Subject + V1 (present )
 It is used to indicate a regular or habitual action and permanent or verifiable
truths/facts.
E.g.: Mary goes to school every day (regular action)
Henry always swims in the evening (habitual)
The sun rises in the east. (permanent truth)
 It is used to express a planned future event/actions, exclamatory statements with
„here‟
and ,there‟.
E.g.: We go to New Delhi next Thursday (planned future event)
Here comes the great player of the year!
 It is used to indicate verbs of perception.
E.g.: I hear someone sing.

2. Present Continuous: (Subject + {is, am, are}+V1 + ing)

 It is used to indicate present time when an action is going on.
E.g.: The secretary is typing the letter now.
 It is used to indicate the action in progress and will be continued, but not
necessarily at the moment of speaking.
E.g.: My son is drawing scenery.
 It is used to indicate the actions that have been arranged to take place in the
near future and one’s immediate plans.
E.g.: We are going to a party this evening.
 The following verbs are never used in the continuous forms (with „ing‟) see,
hear, smell, notice, understand, have, believe, hate, need, love, appear, like,
seem, sound, want, taste, wish, own, notice, desire, refuse, forgive, care,
admire, mean, remember, recall, forget, belong, possess, contain, consist, keep,
seems, cost.
 When some of the above verbs are used in the continuous tense, their meanings
change.
E.g.: I have a house at Colaba.
The professor is having the class in Room. 2 (taking)

3. Present Perfect: (Subject+ {have, has} +V 3 (verb in the past participle)

a. It indicates an action that has happened at an indefinite time in the past.
E.g.: Maria has seen this movie three times.
We haven’t written our reports yet.
 It is used to indicate actions that have started in the past and are continuing at
present.
E.g.: I have been sick for a long time.
 It is also used to show the activities completed in the recent past.
E.g.: My father has just left.
 We should not use present perfect tense when the time is specified.
E.g.: I have read this book last week (incorrect)
I read this book last week (correct)
4. Present Perfect Continuous: (Subject + {have, has}+ been +V1 + ing)
a) It indicates an action that began in the past and still occurring in the present.
E.g.: He has been working in Washington for 5 years.

Past Tense: Simple Past, Past Continuous, Past

Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous
1. Simple Past: (Subject + V2 {verb in the past})
a) It is used for a completed action that had happened in the past. It also indicates
habits of the past.
E.g.: Bob went to America last year.
We always played together.
2.Past Continuous: ( Subject + {was, were} + V1 + ing)
 It indicates an action, which was occurring in the past and was
interrupted by another action.
E.g.: Seema was watching the Television when her brother called.
 It describes two or more actions going on at the same time. The
clauses are usually connected by the conjunction „while‟.
E.g.: While Maya was watching the movie, Mark was playing hockey.
It expresses an action that was in progress at a point of time in the
past, having begun before that point and probably continuing after it.
E.g.: I was watching cricket at 8.00 in the morning.

3. Past Perfect: (Subject + {had} + V3 {past participle})

a) It is used to indicate an action that happened before another action
in the past. Usually two actions are mentioned in the sentence.
E.g.: Ram had gone to the store and brought some groceries. (Past Per.) (Sim. Past)

4. Past Perfect Continuous: (Subject + {had} + been +V1 + ing)

a) It is used to convey an action which happened in the past and continued for certain time.
E.g.: Ramu had been working at the university before he retired.

Future Tense: Simple Future, Future Continuous, Future Perfect, Future

Perfect Continuous
1. Simple Future: (Subject + will/shall + V1)
a) It is used to express the speaker’s opinions/assumptions about the future.
E.g.: They will wait for us.
 It is used for future habitual actions.
E.g.: Birds will build nests.
 It is used in sentences containing clauses of condition, time and purpose.
E.g.: If I drop this glass, it will break.
2. Future continuous: (Subject + will/shall + be+ V1+ ing)
 It is used to express an action as going on at some time in the future.
E.g.: I shall be playing piano in the concert.
 It is used to express future without intention.
E.g.: I will be helping Marie tomorrow.
3. Future Perfect: (Subject + will/shall/ + have + V3)
 It is used for an action which at a given future time will be in the past.
It is usually used with a time expression „by then‟, „by that time‟.
E.g.: By the end of next month he will have been here for ten years.
4. Future Perfect Continuous: (Subject+ will/shall + have +been+V1 +ing)
 It can be used instead of future perfect tense (when the action is continuous).
E.g.: By the end of next month he will have been living here for ten years.
 It can also be used when the action is expressed as a continuous action.
E.g.: By the end of the week he will have been training pupils for ten years.
* However, if we mention the number of pupils, we must use future perfect.
E.g.: By the end of the week he will have trained 5000 pupils for ten years.

Adjectives: Any word that adds more meaning to the noun is called an Adjective. It
qualified a noun.
Anshul is a good player.
The baby drank a little milk.
Kinds of Adjectives:
1. Adjectives of Quality: (They answer the question – What kind?)
Pankaj is a fantastic player.

2. Adjectives of Quantity: (They answer the question – How much?)

She drank a little water.

3. Adjectives of Number: (They answer the question – How many?)

The teacher met fifty students.

4. Adjectives of Demonstration: (They answer the question – Which?)

This story is very interesting.

5. Possessive Adjectives: (They answer the question – Whose?)

My son is in school.

6. Interrogative Adjectives:

What kind of sweet should I order?

 7. Adjective of Distribution:

Each person has to sign on every paper.

8. Proper Adjectives:

Malaya rubber is noted for its quality.

9. Participial Adjectives: This can be either present participle or past participle.

Present participle refers to Verb + ing = Writing

Past participle refers to verb form liked, written, walked, sung etc.

The smiling child is happy.

Adverb: Adverbs add more meaning to the verb, adjective or another adverb in a
sentence. It ‘modifies’ that word.

Radha sings melodiously.

He left immediately.

Types of Adverbs

Adverbs tell us about the time, place, manner, quantity, reason and frequency of an
action. They are recognized by asking certain questions to the verb. We can use a few
questions find them.

a) Adverb of Time: It answers the question ‘When’.

He left immediately (When did he leave? – immediately)
b) Adverb of Place: it answer the question ’Where’.
She lives here. (Where does she leave? - here)
c) Adverb of Manner: it answers the question ‘How’.
They lived happily. (How did they live? - Happily)
d) Adverb of Reason: it answers the question ‘Why’.
All these happened because of you.(Why did all these happen – because
of)
e) Adverb of Frequency: it answers the question ‘How often’.
He rarely spoke. (How often did he speak? - rarely)
f) Adverb of Degree/quantity: it answers the question ‘how much’, ‘in what
degree’.
There is enough sugar. (How much sugar is there? - enough)
g) Relative Adverb: E.g.: Show me the place where you were born.

Usage of Adverbs
 1) An adverb is often placed as near as possible to the word it modifies.
E.g. He writes carefully.
2) If the verb is in the simple tense form, the verb is usually placed between
the subject and the verb it modifies.
E.g. He often visits his home town.
3) If the verb is in the form of ‘to be’ (is, am, are, was, were) the adverb comes
after the verb.
E.g. She is very sober girl.
4) If the verb is compound, the adverb comes after the auxiliary.
E.g. He will always return home in time.
5) If the sentence is negative, the adverb of frequency follows ’not’.
E.g. They are not generally selfish.
6) If the sentence is interrogative the adverb takes position immediately after
the subject.
E.g. Has he ever spoken to you?
7) In the case of infinitives (to + simple form of verb + do), adverb should not
be placed in between ‘to’ and ‘do’.
E.g. He refused to do the task quickly.
8) Use of ‘hard’, ‘hardly’ – ‘Hard’ as an adverb usually follows the verb.
E.g. He works hard to make both ends meet.
‘Hardly’ as an adverb conveys as negative meaning of scarcely or barely.
E.g. Hardly had he spoken when the bell rang.
9) Use of ‘scarce’, ‘scarcely’ – ‘Scarce’ as an adverb means hard to find.
E.g. Coal has become scarce in England.
‘Scarcely’ as an adverb is almost synonymous with ‘hardly’’.
E.g. I can scarcely hear you.

Conjunctions

A Conjunction is a word, which connects words, phrases, clauses or sentences.

There are two classes of conjunctions.

i. Co-ordinate conjunctions join two ideas or sentences, which are of

importance. They also join two words of equal grammatical rank. The
chief co-ordinate conjunctions are – and, but, for, nor, or, otherwise, so,
else, either ______ or, neither____ nor, yet, only, both _____ and,
however.
E.g. At 10, she went to bed, and fell asleep.
I would love to attend the function but I’m not free that day.
He was angry for he had missed the bus.
Neither owls nor bats come out during the day.
Turn down the heat or the cake will burn.
 You can go to Tokyo either by land or by sea.
Don’t drive so fast, otherwise you will crash.
English examination was easy; however, biology was difficult.
It rained so the match was cancelled.
She worked hard yet to failed o pass.
He is neither in England nor in Australia.
She plays both the piano and the violin.

ii. Subordinate conjunctions are the conjunctions that connect the

incomplete idea to the main idea.
E.g. The patient had died before the doctor arrived.
Before the doctor arrived – incomplete idea.
The patient had died – main idea.
Before – subordinating conjunction.

Injunctions

A word, which expresses a sudden and intense felling of surprise, joy, fear,
sadness is injunction. The exclamation mark put after it indicates the feelings. (Ah!
Hurrah! Well! Dear! Oh!) Injunction is not grammatically connected with the rest of the
sentence.

Hurrah! We have won the match.

Sentence

A group of words that makes a complete sense or gives complete meaning

is called a sentence. It expresses the thought of the person who speaks or writes the
sentence. Traditionally, a sentence is considered as a large grammatical unit. A
sentence also consists of the choice of right words, proper arrangement of those words
according to the prescribed grammatical rules. It is also imperative that a sentence has
a verb in it to consider it as sentence.

Kinds of sentences: the sentences are divided into four parts.

1. Declaration Sentences: They state or assert certain facts. So they are called
declaration sentences. A declarative sentence makes a statement. It begins with
a capital letter and ends with a period.
E.g. Veena is playing word zap.
Mark works on computers.
2. Interrogative Sentences: Those sentences who are ask for the questions are
called Interrogative Sentences.
E.g. What is your name?
 Where are you going?
3. Exclamatory Sentences: Whenever we express our strong feelings either of
happiness or sadness and the feeling are also sudden. Also mark exclamatory
sign at the end of the sentence are also called exclamatory sentences.
E.g. Wow, what a win that was!
What alert animals the dogs are!
4. Imperative sentences: E.g. Go out of the class.
Call the electrician, please.
May the lord bless.
The first sentence is an order, the second, a request and the third is a wish. We
use the above sentences when we are talking directly to someone. Hence the
subject is omitted because it is understood in the meaning. Such types of
sentences that are used to express order, request or wish are called as
Imperative sentences.

Clause

Words and phrases can be put together to make a clause. A group of related words that
contain both a subject and a predicate and that functions as a part of a sentence is a
clause. A clause is different from a phrase because a phrase is a group of related words
which lacks either a subject or a predicate or both.
E.g. My grandfather snores when he sleeps.

Clause I: My grandfather snores. This gives a thought or an idea that is complete. It can
stand by itself. In other words, it is independent of other words. So it is a Principal
clause.
Clause II: When he sleeps. This gives an incomplete thought or idea, one that cannot
stand by itself, one that needs some more words to make it whole. The word ‘when’
changes the meaning, making the thought incomplete. After reading this clause, we are
left hanging.

The clause raises a question what will happen when he sleeps…?

So the second clause which depends on the first to give meaning to it is called a
Dependent Clause.

There are two main kinds of clause. They are-

Main Clause: It is also called as Principal clause. It is an independent clause.

Subordinate (or dependent) Clause: A subordinate clause is not a complete

sentence. It functions as a single part of speech – as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
E.g.: I must admit that Maruti 800 is my first personal car.

Que9. Write a datasheet for a product of your choice ex: cell phone, camera, television
etc.
Ans.
Network Technology GSM / HSPA

99 x 53 x 21 mm, 90 cc (3.90 x 2.09 x 0.83

Dimensions
in)

Body Weight 120 g (4.23 oz)

SIM Mini-SIM

- Dual slide design

Type TFT, 16M colors

2.6 inches, 40 x 53 mm, 20.9 cm2 (~39.9%

Display Size
screen-to-body ratio)

Resolution 240 x 320 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~154 ppi density)

OS Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1

Platform CPU 332 MHz Dual ARM 11

GPU 3D Graphics HW Accelerator

microSD, up to 8 GB (dedicated slot), 128 MB

Card slot
included
Memory
Internal 160 MB, 64 MB RAM

Primary 5 MP, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, LED flash

Camera Video 480p@30fps

Secondary QVGA videocall camera

Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic,

Alert types
monophonic MP3 ringtones
Sound
Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers

3.5mm jack Yes

WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology

Comms Bluetooth 2.0, A2DP

GPS Yes, with A-GPS; Nokia Maps

 Infrared port Yes

Radio Stereo FM radio

USB miniUSB 2.0

Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging

Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML

- WMV/RV/MP4/3GP player
- MP3/WMA/WAV/RA/AAC/M4A player
Features - TV-out
- Organizer
- Document viewer (Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, PDF)
- Predictive text input
- Push to talk
- Voice dial/memo

Removable Li-Ion 950 mAh battery (BL-5F)

Battery Stand-by Up to 220 h (2G) / 192 h (3G)

Talk time Up to 6 h 30 min (2G) / 2 h 42 min (3G)

Colors Silver, Plum, Black, Pink, Red

SAR 0.79 W/kg (head) 0.76 W/kg (body)

Music
SAR EU 0.50 W/kg (head)

Price About 210 EUR

Que10. Write a brochure on your chosen subject, product or service for ex: Travel
brochure, Restaurant brochure or a Resort brochure.

Ans. Even with the obvious demand for online hotel marketing materials, travelers and
meeting planners still value printed pieces, especially the venerable hotel rack card.
Who hasn’t gotten annoyed when you stop into a business to ask a question, and the
staff simply responds, “Go to our website, you’ll find everything there”? While it’s true
that you can find everything you want and need from a business’ website, how much
more engaged would you have been if they simply handed over a stunningly printed
piece that you could carry out with you?
We’re marketing resorts and hotels in a paperless world, but that doesn’t mean the
printed rack card is dead. Far from it. After all, sales is about trust. And, people believe
what they can touch. Invest in quality design and copywriting talent for any printed
pieces, just as you would for your online hotel marketing presence. And, follow these
rules to make your hotel rack brochures stand out from the rest:

 Create a Compelling Headline

The top 3″ of your brochure or rack card is the space you use to capture
consumers’ attention, so make sure your designer understands that this is
powerful real estate. Use colors that are quick to draw attention and that are easy
to read. Use a simple, bold font and use the headline to sell the experience.
 Maximize use of color and photographs
Oftentimes, you only have a second to catch the attention of a traveler or
meeting planner, so you’ll want to make your rack brochure aesthetically pleasing
to start off with by using pops of eye-catching colors. The top portion of the card
needs to include either your logo or the title of the card’s content, and the most
dramatic imagery you have of your property. Minimize use of cheesy stock
photography whenever possible, people know an unauthentic image when they
see one.See this example of La Pensioner Hotel’s rack card designed by the
Curious G Design Studio in San Diego. The designer, Millen Gavala, strategically
placed the hotel’s eye-catching exterior shot at the top, which accentuates the
property’s enviable location at the center of San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood.
She then peppered photos of Little Italy and the rest of the property throughout
the rest of the card:
 Design Within Hotel Branding
Many people will see your card, even if they do not take it and carry it with them.
It is vital that when designing you maintain your brand’s stand in quality, content
and color. Selecting a generic template online or throwing together a quick
layout may save you money at first, but will establish a perception that is
confusing and/or negative to many potential clients.
 Tell Them Why and How To Stay with You
Don’t forget to include a call to action, including your reservation line and your
Website. Insert a map showing your location and, if space allows, include short
lines of testimonials from review sites.
 Have Focused Content
Be clear about your messaging and your target audience, this will increase your
card’s chances of being remembered. Refrain from trying to stuff too much
information or copy in the card, or else it will clutter the design. Best bet is to
write the copy, then edit out 25 percent of that. When the designer comes back
with the initial design, edit down the copy even more.
 Proofread
Have 2-3 others in your hotel look at the rack card before it goes to print. Fresh
eyes will find it easier to spot mistakes, and they may even catch what’s missing
in the design or copy that you may have overlooked.

Que11. Write a business plan to start up a company including all the standard elements.
Ans. No matter how long you’ve been in operation, your business needs a plan. A good
business plan can help you secure funding for your startup, or expand your operation.

Even if you aren’t looking for a capital infusion right this moment, a business plan can
still be a great deal of help. The process of creating a business plan forces you to look
at your business and evaluate what’s working — and what isn’t. It can help you focus on
the right things and give you a roadmap to future success.

The Importance of a Business Plan

A few years ago, a software company surveyed its users to determine how helpful a
business plan was to success. The results were reviewed by the University of Oregon
for validation, and seem to point to the improved outcomes for those with business
plans:

 Of those who created plans, 64 percent grew their businesses, compared to 43

percent of companies that hadn’t yet finished a plan.
 Those who created plans were more likely to secure a loan or investment capital.

A Babson College study discovered a written business plan wasn’t all that important —
unless you were trying to raise money. In cases involving raising capital or getting a
loan, businesses with plans were more likely to get the funding they needed.

Consider the company Coffee House, Inc. The founders are excited about providing a
coffee shop for customers using their own brand of coffee. They plan to grind the beans
at the coffee house to provide fresh coffee, as well as sell some of their product in bulk
to customers who want to brew at home. They can also sell accessories to help
customers make the most of their coffee experience, at the shop and at home.

Coffee House isn’t sure about how to proceed or measure success. A business plan
can take ideas from the founders, put them to paper and provide a roadmap to take
action.

7 Elements of a Business Plan

Your well-thought-out business plan lets others know you’re serious, and that you can
handle all that running a business entails. It can also give you a solid roadmap to help
you navigate the tricky waters. The seven components you must have in your business
plan include:

1. Executive Summary
2. Business Description
3. Market Analysis
4. Organization Management
5. Sales Strategies
6. Funding Requirements
 7. Financial Projections

All of these elements can help you as you build your business, in addition to showing
lenders and potential backers that you have a clear idea of what you are doing.

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary is basically the elevator pitch for your business. It distills all the
important information about your business plan into a relatively short space. It’s a high-
level look at everything and should include information that summarizes the other
sections of your plan.

One of the best ways to approach writing the executive summary is to finish it last so
you can include the important ideas from other sections.

Coffee House, Inc.’s executive summary focuses on the value proposition of the
business. Here’s what they’ve written into their plan:

“Market research indicates that an increasing number of consumers in our city are
interested in the experience of coffee. However, there isn’t a viable place for them to
meet and learn locally. Instead, they only have access to fast coffee. Coffee House,
Inc., provides a place for people to enjoy fresh-ground beans and truly enjoy their cup.

“Coffee House, Inc., provides a hub for a subculture of coffee, offering customers a
place to purchase their own coffee-grinding supplies in addition to enjoying the modern
atmosphere of a coffee house.

“The founders of Coffee House, Inc., are coffee aficionados with experience in the
coffee industry and connections to sustainable growing operations. With the experience
and expertise of the Coffee House team, a missing niche in town can be fulfilled.”

2. Business Description

This is your chance to describe your company and what it does. Include a look at when
the business was formed, and your mission statement. These are the things that tell
your story and allow others to connect to you. It can also serve as your own reminder of
why you got started in the first place. Turn to this section for motivation if you find
yourself losing steam.

Some of the other questions you can answer in the business description section of your
plan include:

 What is the business model?

 Do you have special business relationships that offer you an advantage?
 Where are you located?
 Who are the principals?
  What is the legal structure?
 What are some of the market opportunities?
 What is your projected growth?

Answering these questions narrows your focus and shows potential lenders and
backers how you’re viewing your venture.

3. Market Analysis

This is your chance to look at your competition and the state of the market as a whole.
Your market analysis is an exercise in seeing where you fit in the market — and how
you are superior to the competition.

As you create your market analysis, you need to make sure to include information on
your core target market, profiles of your ideal customers and other market research.
You can also include testimonials if you have them.

Part of your market analysis should come from looking at the trends in your area and
industry. Coffee House, Inc., recognizes that there is a wide trend toward “slow” food
and the idea of experiencing life. On top of that, Coffee House surveyed its city and
found no local coffee houses that offered fresh-ground beans or high-end accessories
for do-it-yourselfers.

Coffee House can create an ideal customer identity. The ideal customer is a millennial
or younger member of Gen X. He or she is a professional and interested in experiencing
life and enjoying pleasures. The ideal customer probably isn’t wealthy, but is middle
class, and has enough disposable income to have a hobby like coffee. Coffee House
appeals to professionals who work in a downtown area. They meet their friends for a
good cup of coffee, but also want the ability to make good coffee at home.

4. Organization and Management

Use this section of your business plan to show off your team superstars. In fact, there
are plenty of indications that your management team matters more than your product
idea or pitch.

Venture capitalists want to know you have a competent team that has the grit to stick it
out. You are more likely to be successful and pivot if needed when you have the right
management and organization for your company.

Make sure you highlight the expertise and qualifications of each member of the team in
your business plan. You want to impress.

In the case of Coffee House, Inc., the founders emphasize their connections in the
world of coffee, particularly growers that use sustainable practices. They can get good
prices for bulk beans that they can brand with their own label. The founders also have
experience in making and understanding coffee and the business. One of them has an
MBA, and can leverage the executive ability. Both have worked in marketing
departments in the past, and have social media experience, so they can highlight their
expertise.

5. Sales Strategies

How will you raise money with your business and make profits a reality? You answer
this question with your sales strategy. This section is all about explaining your price
strategy and describing the relationship between your price point and everything else at
the company.

You should also detail the promotional strategies you’re using now, along with
strategies you hope to implement later. This includes your social media efforts and how
you use press releases and other appearances to help raise your brand awareness and
encourage people to buy or sign up for your products or services.

Your sales strategy section should include information on your web development efforts
and your search engine optimization plan. You want to show that you’ve thought about
this, and you’re ready to implement a plan to ramp up sales.

Coffee House needs to make sure they utilize word of mouth and geolocation strategies
for their marketing. Social media is a good start, including making Facebook Live videos
of them demonstrating products and how to grind beans. They can encourage
customers to check in when visiting, as well as offer special coupons and promotions
that activate when they come to the house to encourage sales.

6. Funding Requirements

Here’s where you ask for the amount of money you need. Make sure you are being as
realistic as possible. You can create a range of numbers if you don’t want to try to
pinpoint an exact number. Include information for a best-case scenario and a worst-
case scenario. You should also put together a timeline so your potential funders have
an idea of what to expect.

It can cost between $200,000 and $500,000 to open a coffee house, and profit margins
can be between 7 and 25 percent, depending on costs. A well-run coffee house can see
revenues of as much as $1 million a year by the third year, according to the Chronicle.
Some of the things Coffee House, Inc., would include in its timeline are getting
premises, food handlers’ permits and the proper licenses, arrange for regular supply
and get the right insurance. How long these items take depend on state and local
regulations. No matter your business, get an idea of what steps you need to take to
make it happen and how long they typically take. Add it all into your timeline.
7. Financial Projections

Finally, the last section of your business plan should include financial projections. Make
sure you summarize any successes up to this point. This is especially important if you
hope to secure funds for expansion of your existing business.

Your forward-looking projections should be based on information about your revenue

growth and market trends. You want to be able to use information about what’s
happening, combined with your sales strategies, to create realistic projections that let
others know when they can expect to see returns.

Even though it can be time-consuming to create a business plan, your efforts will be
rewarded. The process is valuable for helping you identify potential problems, as well as
help you plan ahead. You’ll be more organized and better prepared for success.

Que12. Write a project report on the project of your choice, involving all the elements.

Ans. Project for Technical Communication

Executive Summary

How strategic is product documentation or the technical communications department

that produces it? Because many companies lack the insight into the contributions this
department makes to enterprise profitability, the answer is frequently, 'not very.'
Aberdeen's analysis of 165 participating companies demonstrates these contributions,
including a 42% increase in customer satisfaction and an associated 45% increase in
product revenue, are more important than many realize. Starting with this foundation,
this report provides best practices and recommendations for organizations that intend to
maximize technical communications' impact as a profit center.

Best-in-Class Performance
Aberdeen found that as a result of their simultaneous focus on operational efficiency
and documentation quality, Best-in-Class companies were able to realize significant
customer-facing value through technical communications:

 41% decrease in volume of inbound calls to customer support

 42% decrease in time to resolution within customer support
 41% increase in customer satisfaction score

Competitive Maturity Assessment

Survey results show that organizations achieving Best-in-Class performance shared
several common characteristics. Among these characteristics, Aberdeen found leading
performers to be more likely than their competitors to:

 Leverage structured authoring editors (46% more likely)

 Measure customer use of documentation (83% more likely)
  Use Content Management Systems (CMS) to manage relationships between
content components (86% more likely)
 Measure the performance of technical communications with formal metrics
(100% more likely)

Required Actions
In addition to the specific recommendations in Chapter Three of this report, to achieve
Best-in-Class performance, companies must:
 Measure the operational performance of technical communications with formal
metrics
 Streamline processes with content reuse supported by structured authoring
editors and content and project management solutions
 Engage customers by publishing documentation that's specific to targeted user
needs or product configurations
Goals and Constraints on Technical Communications
Understanding the business impact made by technical communications first requires an
understanding of the factors that constrain the organization's performance and
ultimately compel changes to its operations. To this end,

Top Five Pressures Driving Change in Technical

Communications

Increased volume of products and 36%

associated documentation

Organizational initiatives to improve 35%

efficiency

Customer / market demands for more 31%

concise or higher quality documentation

Shortening product development 29%

schedules

Budgets to support documentation are 25%

Shrinking

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Percentage of Respondents (%)

All Respondents n=165

The Maturity Class Framework

The position that customer demand holds among the operational constraints placed on
technical communications fundamentally means that the business value contributed by
technical communication must be identified within these constraints. To this end,
Aberdeen set out to identify the organizations that simultaneously maintained a high
degree of operational efficiency and a high standard of documentation quality. Five key
metrics were used to identify these organizations:
 Percentage of projects meeting targeted authoring deadlines
 Percentage of projects meeting documentation quality targets
 Percentage of projects meeting source language authoring cost targets
 Percent decrease in time required to develop documentation
 Percent decrease in source language authoring costs

Using these metrics, Aberdeen benchmarked participants and categorized them into
one of three tiers of performance: either Best-in-Class (top 20% of performers), Industry
Average (mid 50%), or Laggard (bottom 30%).

Definition of Maturity Class Mean Class Performance

Best-in-Class: Top 20%  93% of projects meet targeted

of aggregate performance authoring deadlines
scorers  91% of projects meet
documentation quality targets

 83% of projects meet source

language authoring cost targets

 26% decrease in time required to

develop technical communications

 43% decrease in source language

authoring costs

Industry Average:  89% of projects meet targeted

Middle 50% authoring deadlines
of aggregate
performance scorers  75% of projects meet
documentation quality targets

 81% of projects meet source

language authoring cost targets

 6% decrease in time required to

develop technical communications
 5% decrease in source language
authoring costs
 Laggard:  65% of projects meet targeted
Bottom 30% authoring deadlines
of aggregate performance  35% of projects meet
scorers documentation quality targets
 18% of projects meet source
language authoring cost targets
 2% increase in time required to
develop technical communications
 1% increase in source language
authoring costs

Competitive Assessment
Aberdeen Group analyzed the aggregated metrics of surveyed companies to determine
whether their performance ranked as Best-in-Class, Industry Average, or Laggard. In
addition to having common performance levels, each class also shared characteristics
in five key categories:
1. Process- the approaches they take to execute daily operations
2. Organization- corporate focus and collaboration among stakeholders
3. Knowledge management- contextualizing data and exposing it to key
stakeholders
4. Technology- the selection of the appropriate tools and the effective deployment
of those tools
5. Performance management- the ability of the organization to measure its results
to improve its business

The capabilities and enablers identified serve as a guideline for best practices, and
correlate directly with Best-in-Class performance across the key metrics. These
characteristics demonstrate how the Best-in-Class simultaneously secure the efficiency
of the authoring environment and improve how they communicate product information to
their customers. The remainder of this chapter will discuss these capabilities and
enablers as they align to four themes describing how the Best-in-Class:

Authoring Efficiency, Diverse Content Development

To determine those companies that qualified as Best-in-Class, Aberdeen investigated
first and foremost, the ability of these companies to generate a high degree of
operational efficiency within technical communications. Strategically, we saw that this
takes the shape of a focus on increasing content reuse. Most technical communications
groups arrive at a formal process for content reuse through an approach called topic-
based authoring. In this approach, content is authored not by book or chapter, but by
individual topics or content components. This approach means that similar topics are
only created once, and then reused and reapplied as required by different
documentation needs. While this has applications in how the Best-in-Class
communicate with customers, the foremost benefits come in terms of the efficiency of
the authoring process.

Communicating Graphically

Of course, it is not just the efficiency of the authoring process that allows the Best-in-
Class to achieve the results identified in Chapter One. These organizations also
demonstrate a strong commitment to finding ways to more effectively engage their
customers. In practice, this often takes the form of taking full advantage of graphic
forms of communication. Illustrations of products and parts are nothing new to technical
communications. However, recent years have seen technological leaps that impact not
only how an organization develops this content, but also expands the boundaries of
what technical content can look like. The Best-in-Class are more likely than their
competitors to leverage these developments to change the way they communicate with
their customers

Centrally Controlling Content and Processes

The Best-in-Class make judicious use of Content Management Solutions (CMS) and
project and process management solutions in order to secure control over their content
and the processes by which it is developed.

Managing Content

For the most part, CMS evolved out of document management solutions. The most
significant difference between the two is that while document management manages
and controls documents in their entirety, CMS manages and controls individual content
components. The Best-in-Class are more likely than their competitors to leverage these
solutions, but the most significant differences come in the capabilities of these solutions
used by the Best-in-Class Of these areas, the most commonly used is version control,
which refers to the check-in / check-out protocol used by these solutions to ensure
continuity in content components and avoid the 'version confusion' that typically ensues
when multiple stakeholders are involved in the development of content that is stored on
a folder system. The next two capabilities make it easier to reuse content. To this end,
search and retrieval functions enable the Best-in-Class to quickly find content when it
can be reused. By also managing of the relationships between content components, the
Best-in-Class maintain the contextual links between these components. Again, this
leads to greater reuse and coherence between components. This also helps when
updates need to be made to documentation. When a new release goes out, much of the
old documentation can be reused, but some portions become obsolete due to new
features. Understanding the relationships help the Best-in-Class identify which areas
would be affected by the updates to reduce documentation errors.

Laggard Steps to Success

  Commit to reusing content. Before anything else, Laggard organizations need to
make a strategic commitment to transforming how they are developing
documentation. Only 35% of these companies have made content reuse a
strategic priority, nearly half that of the Best-in-Class and Industry Average.
Reusing content will reduce authoring time to contribute the productivity
improvements necessary to consistently meet operational performance targets. It
will also enable technical communicators to focus on the quality of new sections.
Deploying a topic-based approach and a structured authoring solution will help
companies execute this strategy.
 Measure the operational performance of technical communications. Without
insight into current performance, organizations will be challenged to find ways to
improve it. The Best-in-Class are 123% more likely than Laggards to use formal
metrics to capture the performance of technical communications. The insight
they've gained by doing so has helped these companies gain the performance
they currently indicate and will help them drive continuing gains.
 Capture customer feedback. Just as the use of formal measures is required to
improve the operational performance of the technical communications
organization, insight into how customers use documentation is the first step to
understanding how to better meet their needs. The Best-in-Class are 122% more
likely than Laggards to capture customer feedback. The ways they apply this
information enable these performers to generate a 41% increase in customer
satisfaction.

Industry Average Steps to Success

 Take broader advantage of CMS. Industry Average organizations have made

some improvement to their operational performance, reducing authoring time by
6% and authoring costs by 5%. However, they lack the dramatic impact realized
by the Best-in-Class. While these performers are nearly as likely as the Best-in-
Class to use CMS, they are failing to take advantage of many of its capabilities.
Specifically, the Best-in-Class are 24% more likely to use search / retrieval
function and 53% more likely to use CMS to manage the relationships between
content components. Taking advantage of these functions will help these
organizations reuse content more often as well as find content when they need it
more quickly with an ultimate impact on productivity.
 Measure the customer's use of documentation. Capturing customer feedback
enables companies to understand how satisfied customers are with
documentation as well as how to better respond to their needs. However, this
feedback cannot provide insight into the kinds of factors that impact usefulness
that customers often do not recognize. In some cases, that which is making the
most impact is invisible to the user. To this end, the Best-in-Class are 52% more
likely to track how customers access publications.

 Increase the personalization of documentation. The Best-in-Class are 43% more

likely than the Industry Average to customize their documentation to customer
 orders and needs. While most organizations will not need to provide
documentation that is tailored to each specific customer, those that fail to
develop more targeted documentation put the usefulness of documentation to
their customers at risk. Often this results in customers who do not use
documentation experiencing detrimental effects for customer satisfaction.

Best-in-Class Steps to Success

 Automate publication. The use of publication engines enable companies to
automate the publication of content to a wide variety of formats and channels as
well as assemble it to the distinct needs of a variety of audiences. The Best-in-
Class are 38% and 61% more likely than Industry Average and Laggard
performers respectively to automatically assemble content based on product
configuration. However, only 29% of these companies have adopted this
capability. Its adoption will help these leaders to better deliver precise
publications without additionally taxing their technical communications resources.

 Engage and educate customers with rich media. When it can be used, the use of
rich media enables companies to directly demonstrate how products should be
used, assembled, or repaired. As such, the information provided through rich
media provides little ambiguity, ensuring that customers are best directed on how
to use a product. It has the added benefit of being easier to consume than text
for many customers, adding to willingness to use it. While twice as likely as their
competitors to leverage rich media editors to develop this content, only 40% of
these performers currently do so. Best-in-Class performers that do not currently
use these tools will find that they enable them to continue to enhance how they
engage their customers.

Research Methodology

Between July and September 2009, Aberdeen examined the use, the experiences, and
the intentions of the technical communications departments of more than 165
enterprises.
Responding enterprises included the following:

 Job title: The research sample included respondents with the following job titles:
CEO, other senior management (10%); vice president, senior vice president
(8%); director (25%); technical communications manager (23%); and technical
communications staff (21%).
 Department / function: The research sample included respondents from the
following departments or functions: technical communications (49%); business
operations / management (22%); engineering / research and development (12%);
marketing (8%); business development (6%); and other (3%).

 Industry: The research sample included respondents from a full range of industry
sectors. Sectors receiving the greatest representation included:
 telecommunications (7%); computer hardware and equipment (9%); industrial
equipment (9%); other discrete manufacturing (11%); and software (33%).

 Geography: The majority of respondents (73%) were from North America.

Remaining respondents were from the Asia-Pacific region (12%); Europe (11%);
and other (4%).