Ottawa Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN)
Marvin's Summary: Being involved in writing processes
& procedures and suffering user comments as "your documents are too long,
too complicated", I enjoyed tonight's introduction to Information Mapping.
To me, Information Mapping is a technique with guidelines to help organize
information in a way that enables readers to quickly grasp our main points.
Robin lead us through a couple of examples illustrating the power of organizing
data for maximum comprehension and fact finding. Even without attending
the full course, I feel I gained some insight into more effective document
creation. Anyone interested in improving
the clarity, quality and effectiveness of their processes and procedures
in either written document format or on-line. These methods can also be
used in day-to-day business communication. With the high volume of information/emails/etc.
arriving at our desks and workstations, this method helps ensure our important
messages are presented in a reader friendly manner. Information mapping is a method
of written communication that presents information in a clear, easy-to-read
and easy-to-access way. It is a reader-based method that creates documents
that are intended to be used, e.g. by quickly scanned for relevant information,
not read from beginning to end. Robin presented research results that indicated many positive aspects of Information Mapping both from a writer's and a reader's point of view. Readers increase their use of documentation (by 38%), are able to perform the task (process/procedures) better (by 50%), and increase their productivity (by 50%). Documents are reduced by 57%, and at the same time have 66% increased clarity. Writers increase their productivity by 50%. Information Mapping process:
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