Every Page is Page One

-

 

    Every Page is Page One is still a nascent idea in Technical Writing. It encompasses everything; structured authoring, topic-based writing, information mapping, and minimalism.

Most documents I aim to author in the future will be smaller in size and still independent. It will be a unit in itself, and almost every page is a unit in itself. The document will have very few external dependencies. Any variables used in it will be local variables and not global variables. Richly linked with suggested topics, books, and articles, it will be a part of the whole and still independent.

Every page is page one (EPPO) topic aims to allow readers to read in any order beginning from anywhere. It is easy to gather feedback and measure the usefulness of an EPPO topic. Imagine that you have 1000 page document and the customer is not happy, and it will be difficult for you to figure out the source of this unhappiness.

EPPO is Just like the Agile methodology. It allows you to fail in a small way while aiming to win big. The conventional book structure is not as consistent with the agile processes of the current day. Technical Writing also needs to reinvent itself to be more agile.

Mark Baker pioneered the idea of EPPO. It applies to writing for the web as well as offline documents.

The ability to learn is the key to survival. We can learn faster by learning from each other.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

YAML front matter in Typora

-
Image
     I was looking for ways to add a cover page, header, and footer in Markdown and just figured out how we do it in Typora Markdown editor. It is easy. Set the header and footer using YAML Front Matter. The YAML front matter must be the first thing in the file and must be valid YAML, set between triple-dashed lines.  Source: https://support.typora.io/ The following is an example for setting the document title, header, and footer using YAML: --- title: Agile Technical Documentation header: A Quick Guide for Agile Technical Documentation footer: ${pageNo} --- Apart from this, you need to make a few PDF export settings. Select File > Preferences > Export > PDF and select the checkbox for Read and overwrite export settings from YAMAL front matters . Now, the document exported into PDF will have A Quick Guide for Agile Technical Documentation in its header and page number in its footer. If you need a cover page as well for the PDF export, paste the following content in the Ap
Read more

Technical Writing essentials

-
Image
     I want to share some of my learnings starting from the beginning days of my Technical Writing career. Everyone in the project must have a cursory understanding of the following, and the Technical Writer must understand it in detail: Language standards Learn the style guides. MSTP (Microsoft Manual of Style - currently called Microsoft Style Guide) is among the most widely followed style guides. You can access it online for free and even download the PDF for offline reference. See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/style-guide/welcome/ There are several other style guides, but it is mostly enough to refer only to Microsoft Style Guide. The following are some of the key takeaways: Avoid passive voice - sentences in passive voice are generally longer and harder to read. Use only the simple and easy words understood by the global audience with varying degrees of English knowledge. Your writing must have the same meaning for all people from different geographies and cultures. Never use a
Read more

Apply Goldilocks principle

-
Image
     There is one thing universal about successful managers. They keep increasing the performance benchmark every time. It applies to an athletic coach who wants to make his trainee globally competitive. I have worked under cruelly kind managers who are very ruthless in getting the tasks done. They push you to improve your competency and skills every day. You may have had a tough time working under this manager, and still, it is not something to be resented. Weathers the pressures work? We start looking for ways to do things better when the competitive edge is so narrow, and even a marginal improvement in something will give you an edge over your competitors. I had my dilemmas over if harsh managers are good or bad. A good manager sets difficult but attainable benchmarks and allows members to execute tasks with relative autonomy. There is no use flogging a dead horse. Spend time grooming the people who are motivated to do their best. I have spent time with people who do not have enough
Read more