Commonsensical Documentation

by Deena Chadwick

Commonsensical Documentation is a guide to simple, lean, and agile technical writing. When you ask people what they expect when they read technical documents, many will probably tell long, boring, and hard to understand. This can lead to disastrous • No one reads it – because it is too boring or long • No one can understand it – it has too much jargon or technical terms • Does not provide enough information – it is unclear or vague, assumes reader has more knowledge than they do • Inaccurate – it is incomplete, is misleading, flat-out wrong, or not kept up-to-date In today’s world of economic crisis, we have all become more cost focused, whether we like it or not. It is common to see stakeholders and clients reduce budgets and insist on faster turnaround times. Unfortunately when looking for ways to do this, documentation is one of the first things cut. Any documentation that is not desirable is considered to be of no value or a waste of time. This eBook is about blending the best practices of communication and technical writing with a little common sense. By combining these principles technical writers and business analysts can produce documentation that will be valuable and appreciated.

53 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2013

About the author

Deena Chadwick is an award-winning author, speaker, and the creator of the CommonSensical Approach — a movement to bring common sense back to the world of project and product development. With 20+ years of expertise in business analysis, project management, and agile practices, she's spent her career helping teams work smarter.
Her CommonSensical Series translates complex business and agile concepts into simple, practical techniques anyone can use.
Her latest book, Don't Be An Ask-Hole, takes a sharp (and slightly irreverent) look at the one communication habit most people don't know they're getting wrong: asking questions. It breaks down 13 archetypes of question misuse with the kind of humor that makes you laugh, cringe, and immediately think of someone you know.
Spoiler: it might be you.
Take the "Which Ask-Hole Are You?" quiz at dontbeanaskhole.com.