9 Pricing Strategies to the ‘Sweet Spot’ of Your Writing Success 

Have you noticed that almost everyone who has a laptop and can type has a secret perception that writing is easy and therefore it should not cost much?  

When you decide to launch your writing career (whether you have your own business or work within an organisation), one of the most difficult challenges you face is the commercial valuing of your work.   

There is a practical necessity -- no matter how long you’ve been in the writing business -- to initially and regularly examine your pricing strategy to ensure you are balancing your efforts with what you are charging.   

Your pricing will and should change over time as your experience and confidence grows, and in response to the current market.  Here are some practical guidelines for pricing you may find helpful.     

Strategy = A plan to create value 

Many believe strategy is a mystical exercise about some airy-fairy concepts and lateral-thinking creativity ...but strategy is practical and focused squarely on bringing delight to your audience and your customers/ clients.   

Customer’s Delight	Writer’s Delight
the difference between the:  willingness and ability to pay  quality and suitability of the writing   and the price.	the difference between the:  extent of your labour and the compensation you must meet for your labour. - profit to sustain your dream
Willingness to buy	Willingness to sell

Here are some components that need to be considered when you begin to create your pricing strategy. 

1. Scope  

2. 
   

In my experience, scoping every writing project as accurately as possible is a major key.  (See my previous STC article on how to scope a project BEFORE you begin working).  Obviously, the ‘bigger’ the project the higher the cost.  Bigger could mean number of words/ pages, having to start from just a title and do all the research, working with someone who is difficult, etc.   

It could mean how complicated the project is due to the number of subject matter experts or people whose opinions must be satisfied or sought out.  It could mean an obscure topic that will take heaps of research where there is little information or material available.   

You get the picture.  No matter what, never begin writing until you have a clear scope of the work defined (and the contract signed, including agreement on payment amount and terms). 

2. A ‘pricing history framework’ 

3. 
   

When you set up a ‘pricing history framework’ it will provide you with an historical record of projects you’ve completed, the time it took to complete each one and the pricing strategy you used. 

This can be a simple Excel spreadsheet or even a Word table, where you list your projects across one axis of the spreadsheet and list relevant details down the other access.  Here are the specifics I have found helpful to track.   

1. - Date started   

2. - Date completed  

3. - Type of writing (researching and writing to a topic, editing something already written, etc.) 

4. - Category of project (manual, work instruction, user stories, etc.) 

5. - Industry of project (medical, engineering, IT, etc. 

6. - Number of pages/ words 

7. - Unique requirements (tight deadline, extra research, interviewing) 

8. - Pricing strategy used and if the client paid as agreed 

9. - Comments (leave enough space to describe any unique requirements as these are usually contributors to the work).  

10. 
    

NOTE:  You may have others details you believe are valuable to track.  It would be great if you could share them by commenting on this article.     

Having a set of parameters gives you the opportunity to compare your projects in a balanced and factual way.  When a new client approaches with a unique project it will provide you with confidence and ideas of how to price new work accurately.   

Additionally, this database will help you identify what has worked well in pricing and what needs to be strengthened.   

3. Deadlines 

4. 
   

Time can be a challenging master.  You must ensure this component is factored into your client agreement/ contract.  We’ve all faced the ‘we must have this 90-page document by the end of the two business days’ projects and it is not fun and in my experience, you never get paid fairly under these circumstances.   

A project with a tight deadline means you have to move your other work around to accommodate it or lose sleep or friends to complete it, and sometimes compromise quality.   

It is alright to just say ‘No’ and your client will respect you for not being too easy.  However, if you are desperate for funds or if the work is for your favourite client (who always pays on time) it may be worth the extra effort.  Typically, it just leads to cutting corners and annoying others waiting their turn for your services.   

Rule of thumb: the quicker they need it the more you should charge.  The worst thing you can do is ‘train up your client’s or your bosses expectations for the impossible’.  They will come to expect it every time!   

4. Experience  

5. 
   

You earn experience with every article or manual or procedure you write.  How much have you written in the past?  Not how much time have you studied writing, but how much actual writing experience do you have.   

Consider routinely asking your clients for testimonials about how satisfied they are with your writing.  I’m not talking about four or five stars or some senseless NPR type of rating.  Ask your clients to write out their thoughts and ask them for permission to use their words in your marketing efforts.   

Hint:  Having testimonials from satisfied customers is a personal cure for the blues.  When everything seems impossible and you wonder which end of a pen to pick up, this personal ‘brag book’ that you can pull out and encourage yourself when the world turns foul.   

Authentic testimonials are invaluable.  Don’t be embarrassed to ask someone to write how they experienced your skills and customer service approach.  This gives you proof of your experience.   

Typically fledgling writers tend to err on one of two extremes when it comes to promoting their experience: 

• - To ‘apologise price’ the work too low 

• - To ‘over-confidently price’ the work too high 

• 
  

5. Expertise 

6. 
   

Different to experience.  Niche expertise means your specialty area. For example:   IT, engineering, legal, medical or knowledge management.   

You can narrowly specialise or provide a variety of strong areas across a range of areas. 

• - What type of document writing have you done?   

• - What do you love writing about?   

• - Are you good at research and analysis?   

• - Do you understand the neutral power of writing policy, frameworks, processes, procedures, proposals, how to guides, work instructions, written direction, user manuals, training programs and aids, e-learning, reports, articles and presentations.   

• - Are you familiar with ISO standards?   

• - What about legal, compliance with regulations?   

• - Are you good with project management? 

• - Do you have knowledge of or a hunger to learn more about IT, engineering, legal, medical, transportation, aerospace or incident management? 

• 
  

Software tools 

What software tools are you proficient or expert with?  Microsoft™ applications (including Visio, Teams and SharePoint) Confluence, ARK, JIRA, Trim, Information Mapping, ServiceNow?  There are heaps of places to hone your skills and you never know when a unique tool will land you new work.  

For example, have a friend who specialises in knowing everything about using PowerPoint for all sorts of applications and she is always busy! 

‘Plain English’? 

There is nothing more important than the translation work today’s technical writers can offer.  Translating complicated information into useable reading material is a rare gift.   

6. The relationship potential 

7. 
   

Some are customers and some are clients and some are life-time ‘partners’ in your success.  It takes some time to develop someone who just wants something written quickly and for just one time only from those who want a long-term relationship. 

Obviously, the desire is to have a few, reliable clients who are easy to work with and who pay on time.  Always ask a new client how much potential work they might have.   

Example 

I am presently working with someone who initially just wanted me to check the spelling and grammar in a book he had written.  A year later and I’ve completed five more books (full editing, formatting, publishing and promotion (plus he has just added designing marketing collateral and a web site).  But it would not have happened if I hadn’t asked him about the volume of work he might wish to work through.  We developed a good working relationship built on trust and honourable pricing.   

Retainer 

Also, consider proposing a retainer for someone who may have a few articles to write.  Many organisations are looking for someone to write articles for their blog.  If you can work out a fair retainer structure of, say $500 a month for a limited number of articles of a specific length and any extra articles or work at $50 per hour in addition to the retainer. 

7. Portfolio potential  

8. 
   

How much prestige will this client add to your potential.  Your first few clients will help you establish your writing business and help you realise the challenges of writing (part-time or full-time) before you have the luxury to think about the potential of adding someone significant to your client list. 

It’s a good idea to write down a ‘Wish list’ of people you would enjoy writing for because they have a name that is recognised by others.  This could be a government official, someone in the news, a local leader, an expert in their field that people know about.  Then consider ways to market yourself to them. 

A ‘stable’ of known experts that you are writing for will help you get even more clients.  Eventually, you may be able to pass on other clients to a colleague or take a partner into your business. 

8. Fulfilment  

9. 
   

No, I don’t mean finishing the work and shipping it off, I’m talking about feeding your heart with the joy of knowing you have enjoyed learning about a new topic and/ or writing a beautifully orchestrated document.   

Work is not life and if you don’t enjoy your work, it will hurt you and cause you stress.   

If you are working within an organisation, of course, there may seem to be less opportunity to be less likely to pursue personal fulfilment but strive to because it will prove more important than you realise. 

Ask yourself:   

• - Will I enjoy this project?   

• - Will this client be reasonable to work with and for?   

• - Will this assignment help me advance my own skills. 

• 
  

Fun trumps money every time.  If you’re not excited about a project…you will regret the time, sweat and tears you pour into it.  

 

9. Types of pricing strategies 

10. 
    

Minimal Acceptable Pricing (MAP) must be a ‘win-win’.  Here are some approaches to pricing that you might consider.   

If you work within an organisation, your experience over time should result in reasonable pay increases.  And you can also write part-time to see if you will enjoy writing for a living.     

• Per hour 

• 
  

Did you know a lawyer must log his activity every six minutes!  Well, that is just too much for me.  When writing for an hourly rate, use an hour timer and log progress along the way.  This record of activities (researching, writing, speaking with subject matter experts, etc.) takes time.   

Keeping this log makes it easy to create your invoice.  Always attach a daily record of hours spent.   

Some clients believe this is a more flexible approach and from your side, it is especially beneficial when working with a client who is unsure what they want and require rewrites.  It is not as easy for clients to budget for.  

If you have a ‘pricing history framework’ with data in it, this will help you with an hourly rate.   

If you are just starting out, there are a few ways to set your hourly rate.  Consider the minimum wage in your area and start there.  You can also consider your salary at your last job and do the simple math to divide the amount you earned by the hours you worked.   

Another way is to do an internet search of other writers and consider how you compare with their offerings.  Price shopping the local market is not all that easy but many writers have the confidence to mentor new writers.   

• Per assignment 

• 
  

Scoping and your pricing history framework are critical tools when you price by the assignment.  The more detailed they are, the easier it will be to be accurate with your pricing.  

 

Once you scope the project, apply the pricing framework.  Add three to five percent to your basic, minimum acceptable price to cover unexpected events that will happen as you are writing.  Few projects go smoothly and once you quote a price you are locked in. 

• Per word  

• 
  

Per word is best for short pieces that must be edited to a set number of words or characters, like website content marketing, blog articles and promotional copy.   

As with an hourly rate, use your framework and shop your colleagues.  Writing short pieces is hard work, unless you’ve been practicing this arcane art for a long time.   

It can be a very lucrative but hair-pulling exercise. 

    

• A Package Deal – Annual Contract 

• 
  

When I first started writing, I was afraid I would not be able to pay my monthly bills.  So, I invented my own package deal.   

I offered a set number of articles per month, per year for $500 per month (they had to sign an annual contract.  I was primarily writing 16-page newsletters).   

This approach was attractive to my clients, and it worked very well for me because I always knew how to budget monthly.  Eventually, I added ‘and if you require additional writing after that it is $50 per hour.   

Look over your framework, consider what your basic monthly requirements are and work to meet them as a minimum.  

Bonus! 

Contract! 

Always write out a contract to detail exactly what you will deliver (based on the scoping exercise) and exactly how the costs will be calculated.  This will minimise/ eliminate haggling after the fact. 

Also you can include: 

• - an incentive clause (if you pay within the 15 days the invoice is due, you can save five percent) 

• - or a contingency fee for change orders to cover the possibility that the project takes a turn away from what was originally agreed.   

• - a nuisance fee for clients who live just to give you a headache 

• 
  

Conclusion 

• - Avoid envy and arrogance. 

• - Never be greedy. 

• - There will always be someone who will charge less. 

• - Always give more than you are asked for.  

• 
  

• Love what you do, and the money will never be the key factor!  Conclusion 

Honourable and reputation-building, value-pricing for your writing work will establish you as a professional who is confident in the quality of your work and ensure you grow your business enough to narrow your market to ‘the sweet spot of your success’.  

 

Word of the Year 2021 – VACCINE!

Jeanette Evans (my co-editor for the Society of Technical Communicators (Ohio Chapter) Newsletter) challenged me to write an article for the January newsletter about the ‘word of the year’.  A little research revealed that the one word used excessively this year was, ta da! = vaccine. 

I’m sure it was easy enough for anyone to guess.  However, how was I to write an article of interest that would serve and interest all you great technical writers out there about such a word?

My first approach was to research the history of vaccines. That was quite fascinating and revealed a new perspective on the development of technical writing over time.  

Lots of initial documentation about vaccines was, as you would expect, filled with inconsistencies, speculation, conjecture and opinion, and typically was poorly organised.  And that proved enlightening, as you can see for yourself (11 mins and 14 sec):

 Click the image or the link or

Copy and paste the link into your browser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtqAqL3fn64

or search YouTube for:  The Untold Story of the First Vaccine

by SciShow (11 mins 14 sec)

 

Too bad we didn’t have some skilled technical writers back then to document these early discovers.  It would have saved heaps of time and so many lives! 

After that, I came up with another idea to represent some of the goals technical writers strive for when they write, represented by the letters of the word vaccine.  I hope you find it a good read. 

V - Value and quality for money

Sometimes I wonder about the amount of time it takes to craft a technical document or any genre and how few people (who are not writers, appreciate the thinking, strategizing and rewriting time it takes to ensure that the topic is covered well. 

‘Selling’ our achievements is easy to struggle with if you keep your head down and just write.  In the New Year, take time to promote the amazing value of your ‘products’ and achievements.

A - Accurate

Technical writers are NOT writers of fiction.  They are not ‘casual’ writers who write blog articles or romance short stories for the latest edition of Elle or Glamour.  Our work must be precise and totally accurate because lives and livelihoods depend on our words. 

What a great feeling to know that what you are accomplishing with the ‘simple’ tools of ‘just’ words -- can change lives -- and even the way a business or government acts in good times and in times of challenge and emergency.

C - Concise, common sense and creative

This first ‘C’ really got me thinking about how we use words in such a common-sense way.  That takes so much creativity and insight and most think technical writing is all angles.  

Technical Writers might be the most creative of all writers of all because we know how to make the most mundane and unappealing bit of information glow off the paper, so it empowers and inspires the reader to take action safely.  Most of all, we do all of this in the fewest words imaginable!

C - Confidence building

This is probably my key promise when I am writing technical documents.  If those who read our documents find ‘friction-delaying’ phrases, awkward arrangement of words or a plethora (I always wanted to use that word somewhere!) of jargon or acronyms -- confidence is out the window.  

All the ‘C’ above are meaningless if the reader has to struggle around looking for a dictionary or firing up Google to understand what you wrote!

I - Ignorance

Much like creativity, our ignorance drives insight and innovation that is a natural gift (my opinion) as we unpack the mystery of any new topic from asteroids to zebras.  We have the ability to see a topic fresh and unjaded -- seeing the forest and the trees within it.

There is nothing quite as satisfying as unravelling how something actually works or how a process or work instruction must be structured if it is going to be effective for the newest person on the job.  You know the one…they draw the short straw and are left alone over the Christmas holidays to run the department -- with no one else to call for help. 

This compassionate attention to detail takes careful thought (and time).  It also takes having a ‘feel’ and understanding of those who will read and use the documents – and in what context and conditions. 

N - Neutral

As you have already seen in reading this far in the article, I am NOT neutral about the wonders of technical writers and all they do.  Yet, they do have the ability to write in a detached, unbiased and factual way that remains neutral of opinion.  This grows to be an increasingly lost art that we retain and let’s keep it that way!

E  -   Easy to understand and action

We never write to obfuscate the unfolding of actions or information because we know and appreciate the importance of ensuring people can act from the clarity of our writing.  The documents we deliver are meant to eliminate ‘reading friction’, which is designed to save readers time, save organisations time and money … and sometimes even lives. 

I hope you enjoyed last year and join me in hoping that as this New Year unfolds that it hold abundant opportunities for satisfying personal and professional achievements -- and that 2022 results in a better word to write about!

Alice, the Technical Writer, Meets the White Rabbit

The mission of the Technical and Document Writer is to ensure all the details required by the readers/ users of the documents are presented in an accurate, clear, 'Plain English' and actionable way.  This means creating a simple, consistent and frictionless presentation of ‘the organisation's truth’ in the required format and style. 

Creation

Ideally, if a workflow process has been workshopped thoroughly and is formally approved/ signed off, it forms the best foundation for the technical writer to write a work instruction, procedure, how-to guide, etc., because it should be accurate and stable; and provides the purest and quickest way to complete a document. 

Once complete, the initial review by SMEs should uncover whatever is missing.  This can be more easily added and/ or embellished, as needed, once all facts are included in the structure.

Supplementary Documents

If there are supplementary documents, such as communication templates (internal and/ or external), I tend to suggest them as I am writing the work instruction, as they flow naturally out of the document. 

Reports, such as summary sheets, or special documents such as Statements of Word (SoW) and Notice of Determination (NoD), might also need to be included in the workflow -- as well as any legally-required communication that would not be apparent from the workflow. 

Screen shots

Sometimes these are suggested from the activities, such as ‘receipting’ an application or transaction.  These screen shots are easily produced directly from systems that will typically be used in completing the tasks.  

However, there are screen shots that only appear when an action is further developed (such as printing an Excel report from the details collected).  These might be best sourced from someone who has the proper authority to access the systems.  

Review

To help make the work easier, effective and efficient for the technical/ document writer, here are six points to keep in mind if you are asked to review and comment on a document.

     1.      Moving or adding chunks of text

Primarily this is about cutting and pasting bits of copy from one document into the ultimate document and often this changes pagination and introduces embedded codes or additional structures.  If you need to do this, just highlight it so it is easier to find and ensure it is blended into the document.

     2.     Moving illustrations

Many of the illustrations have layers of communication within them and when moved, such as right justifying them, pointers and ‘attached’ highlights may not move with them.

     3.     Adding extra lines

    The number of lines between sections is strictly established and when, for example, a segment of writing is separated from a heading when it moves to the next page, adding a number of lines before the heading means these will have to be removed when the document is finalised.  Leave this work for the Document Manager.

     5.     Changing case randomly or capitalising words just because they are nouns

    I'm unsure where this started, but it is a common error that is made when a word like 'technical' is capitalised:  Technical, perhaps to add emphasis or strength to the word.  It is also used when referring to a human resource designation such as manager to Manager.  

     Typically, this type of adjustment is rarely made consistently within the document, and is incorrect.  

     6.   Using words consistently throughout the documents, such as flood works or floodworks, assessments or evaluations, etc.

     7.     Changing/ adding heading structure  

    Heading structure is set within the template of each type of document for consistency, not style preference.  Changing or adding a level to the structure only means the Document Manager will need to readjust the headings before publishing a document.  Adding work and time to the task.

Good – Fast – Cheap (Pick two)

I was recently asked by the Society of Technical Communicators to write about customer service, just thinking about the level of customer service I find today, the number angles and topics that came to mind was overwhelming.  Considering you as the audience, it seemed important to focus on what might serve writers and how customer service is critical for our craft.

Service is basically common courtesy and common sense – providing the service we would like to have provided to us.  As writers this means we deliver what we promise for the price we quote, in the time agreed --the ultimate in customer service.  Most of all, we keep our readers and the one who is paying us in mind throughout our work.

You want what by when for how much!

Whether writing a novel or a complicated explanation of an intricate IT network process, a work instruction or test case -- the perception is that it cannot be that difficult to write, write quickly and for almost no cost! 

The reason is simple -- people have been writing since grade school.  However, this complicates our work when it comes to charging others for what they believe they could do themselves if they just had more time.

In the 80s the mantra of business was: 

·       customers come first, shareholders next and profits last.

By the ‘90s there was a shift to:

·       shareholders first, profits and customers last

Today, it is typically:

·       profits first, shareholders next and … well customers are just too expensive to serve anymore. 

As writers this current shift means the major driver for our work can be to get the most for the least cost. 

Quality is not always as important as cheap and fast.  Yet, cheap and fast does not deliver quality that is necessary for repeat business and to provide good customer service.  It just gets through work quickly, results in heaps of rework and the writer suffers from lack of income when the client is not happy.

Define the work carefully

In my experience, success begins with defining and measuring what needs to be done.  Then establishing a schedule to meet the client expectations.  Here is a different, yet critical type of writing.  Start with precisely defining and documenting what is to be delivered, by when and for how much. 

This can often seem like ‘nailing jelly to the wall’, yet the effort will pay dividends with your reputation and repeat business.  It means you can know when you meet your customer’s expectation and deliver good service. 

Ensure there is no ‘wiggle room’ to misunderstand what is being agreed to and your client will be an excellent reference for you in the future.

Scope creep

The enemy of every project -- no matter how large or small -- is agreeing to the scope of work within a set schedule and the client asking for changes or ‘just one more little thing’. 

Scope creep is especially poisonous for writers because we sometimes are so grateful for the work, we just want to get to it rather than formalise things.  The inclusion of change orders and how they may impact the cost and time upfront is critical.

Make it clear you intend to deliver the best quality for the defined scope at a fair price in an agreed-to timeframe.  Any required changes must be defined, costed and agreed to before they can be undertaken.  Changes can impact the delivery date, or the work may need to be delivered in stages. 

Writing and managing change orders can become more time consuming than the original project and if they grow too ponderous it is time to have a good talk with the client.  Everyone must understand the rules of the project before it begins, to manage potential complaints later.

Time

Professional writers know that to write well, to be thorough and accurate, is not about the time spent writing, it is the time preparing, researching, thinking through what is needed, what is meant, what the reader needs to know, writing for the reader, editing and proof-reading. 

There is legal, compliance or audit requirements that often must be met, especially by technical writers.  Clients want to know why it is taking you so long.  Pricing your writing to meet deadlines is a huge challenge.  It is the measure twice, cut once rule that will ensure you are profitable and popular.

Cheap

Pricing success comes from pricing fairly.  Most of us do not make $100 per hour writing.  Endeavour to set your fees, not on what others charge, but for how complicated the topic, the level of the audience/ reader, your overhead, the time the client is allowing to complete the work … you will know the key factors to include.  Never be afraid to turn work down because if you do not, it will come back to bite you.

If you have been in or near organisational customer service, you know the ‘holy grail’ is -- and always will be -- how can we put a price on the cost of adding customer service on top of what is delivered? 

When I was a child, if you found one gasoline service station at an intersection, there would be three more, one on each of the other corners.  You choose by the personally perceived brand value and the customer service received.

One day we pulled into our favourite Texaco station.  The service attendant took my Dad’s order to ‘Fill-er up’ and popped the hood to check the oil and water.  I noticed the cost of a gallon of gas was less at the Mobile station across the street.  Over the months that followed, a gas war took place and gas stations began to close as competitors sacrificed profit to undercut their rivals.

It might have been alright if it has just stayed with gasoline stations, but the idea of undercutting your competitors with the hope of being the last one standing lingers today.  Resist the temptation.  Price fairly and your customers will come back for more. 

Conclusion

Extraordinary customer service in writing comes from having as much information about the expectations of the client as you can.  Being honourable and truthful about your ability, experience and availability to meet the requirements.  Always

·       Define the work precisely

·       Price fairly

·       Work to an agreed schedule

·       Ruthlessly police scope creep

·       Deliver what you promise

Being professional means, you clearly establish and mutually agree in writing on what will be delivered, at what price, by when and the impact of scope creep.  If you do this and you fulfil your agreement, there is no better customer service!

Artistry in Technical Writing

The Extraordinary Artistry of

Technical Writing

 

When you modify “writing” with an adjective like “technical” it seems an unlikely combination.  Yet, they fit together in a magical way, only we who have practiced this craft for a while understand.  Those new to the art struggle to grasp the artistry angle because it is not found in any off-the-shelf training course.

Motivating purpose

Knowing the motive underlying the writing helps.  It is always important to state it clearly and get agreement before you begin.  Without the purpose you are just writing in circles.

For example, if you are writing to remediate behavioural errors or to encourage a new way of working, there are different ways to approach the body of work.  If you are writing to substantiate auditable process or test some new ideas, the motive of your task will also set the tone and your approach.

Audience

One of the most valuable lessons shared with me was to write to only one person at a time, to see that person and appreciate their position in reading what you are writing. 

You can do this by asking others about those who will utilise your work or best of all, you can take time to meet with several of them, if time allows.  Listen carefully as they share how they manage new instruction, whether they are fatigued with too much change or unaware of the need and motive for new documents.

Time

Time is always a difficult challenge.  Everyone is in a rush nowadays.  Although technical writing cannot be likened to painting the Sistine Chapel, it does take more time in combining the “soft” information (motive, audience, feedback, etc.) with the edgy reality of accurate and concise information. 

Yet, it takes time to change, so you must take time to ensure there is no “friction” in what you write.  If you do not it easily can provide reasons and excuses to resist embracing the new way of understanding something familiar. 

NOTE:  Friction is anything that might slow down or stop your reader.  Friction includes making something too complicated, convoluted, or wordy.  Not checking for accuracy and sensibility of the process (see “A Secret” below), misspellings, using acronyms or words that no one is sure of.

Parameters and constraints

Every organisation requires you to respect their parameters of style and tradition.  There are always template constraints (even those you create) and editorial/ brand standards to be met.  Be sure you are a shining example of doing this with consistency. 

Remember, creativity is at its best when you learn how to work within set guidelines and maddening constraints to maximum effect.

Collaborators

Seeking the best subject matter experts is obviously important.  Yet sometimes this can be one of the greatest challenges you face.  Many subject matter experts are selected for you.  Many have at least half-dozen reasons to resist your probing for the truth, including fear they will be too easy to replace. 

Being able to “charm” reluctant individuals with the motivating purpose and benefits of having new documents will demonstrate your strength in creativity.

Mentors

Anyone who writes alone is foolish (that is my opinion, and I’m sticking to it because it has proven me right too many times).  We all find a bit of sensitivity crops up in our hearts as we write.  Having someone to bounce ideas off, who will read your work with care and candour (before it is released to the wider audience) will serve you a million times over.

The Secret

Technical writers who are also “closet” analysts, have a secret.  It gives them a significant, advantage when writing any type of document.  Why?  Because they know how to unravel the fine threads of any process, procedure or written information.  They can follow the reasoning and logic through with child-like innocence -- and correct it where necessary for the benefit of the ultimate reader.

How to manage technical writing projects remotely

I was asked to address how to collaborate on technical writing projects remotely.  Here is what I’ve found works well.  We have a virtual team of seven and a huge body of work for a government utility.  The work includes analysing and defining processes and writing: 

Processes	Procedures	How-to/ user guides
Special reports	Training aids	Work instructions
Glossary of terms and acronyms	An overall manual	Wiki of all information

The Methodology

Here is a high-level overview of how we manage our workload.  I hope this provides some helpful ideas:

Meetings

We meet at the start of every new project to

1.      discuss project structure and participants (for example:  subject matter experts (SMEs), those who will be required to review and sign off the documents.

2.      sign off rules to handle the details of how we will work to create and distribute documents.

We set two recuring weekly meetings.  Everyone involved with the documents (including representatives from the subject matter teams) is required to attend: 

·        one on Monday mornings (discussing plans for the week, any constraints, challenges or conflicts)

·        the other on Friday mornings (review and celebration of the week’s progress – usually with everyone having virtual coffee/ tea and cake).

Tools

1.      Our tools of collaboration are Microsoft™ Teams and SharePoint.

2.      In SharePoint we set up sites and folders according to rules all agree to, this includes an:

·        'In development' folder in SharePoint that is only accessible by those writing documents – it includes agreed to sub folders by topics

·        'In production' folder in SharePoint where finished, to be reviewed and signed off documents are stored in PDF-only format, accessible to users – with structured sub-folders by topic.

3.      We use a consistent and easy-to-understand language for labelling folders to make it easy for staff to locate documents.

4.      No other documents are stored in the collaboration sites but work in progress.

5.      We establish a structure that relies on one version being stored in SharePoint and use document history should previous versions be required.

Document Manager

We charge one person to be the document manager.  They have the responsibility to

1.      audit and maintain the document rules.

2.      manage permissions, structure and any problems with the SharePoint sites

3.      monitor progress of all documents, for group reporting.

4.      maintain the list of unfinished or incorrect information and return documents to the analyst to correct/ complete.

5.      to do a final 'polish' of all documents along their journeys to ‘tie up any loose threads’ and make decisions about content, structure, format, etc. to result in a ‘consistent quality’ of the product.

6.      PDF all final documents before they are removed from the development site and moved to the production site.

7.      pull all manual segment documents into the structure of the ultimate manual and wiki once a document segment is completed and signed off.

Document Rules

1.      We established templates for each type of document that all must agree to and use.

2.      We maintain a strict naming convention for files, folders and documents.

3.      We maintain a team Microsoft™ OneNote that includes

a.      a tab for each contributor for their ongoing discoveries, questions and segments of frequently used copy

b.     an ultimate progress list with the analyst writers responsible for keeping their progress deadlines current

c.       a shared list of tasks and who is responsible for what and by when

4.      When a document is being reviewed by an SME on an uncontrolled document, we provide the reviewer with clear instructions for how we require changes to be noted.  (For example, we ask the reviewer to use ‘Comments’ in the ‘Review’ section of Word, and not ‘Track Changes’)

5.      We instruct reviewers not to worry about spelling or formatting -- as this is all pulled to one consistent standard by the document manager.

Analysts Writers

1.      In our team, there are three process analysts who work with subject matter experts (SME) and collaboratively create process flow documents with them.

2.      After the process flows are developed, they are sent to the document manager to review.

3.      The document manager uses ‘fresh eyes’ to review the ‘as is’ and ‘to be’ approaches for logic and potential improvements

4.       The process analyst is responsible to store only ONE version of a document in the collaborative SharePoint (which can be accessed by other analysts -- who may make or be asked to make -- contributions)

5.      All documents hold a warning in the footer, ‘If downloaded, this document is an ‘uncontrolled copy’. 

6.      Copies of uncontrolled documents must be approved for release by the document manager if required.

Conclusion

Although this exact type of structure may not work for every project, it should give some hints at the many things to consider when working collaboratively and remotely. 

One thing I have learned is that if the management of the work becomes too complicated, or scattered in the hands of too many, it is doomed to be resisted and will fail.  I think the K.I.S.S. formula works best in all things.