DocQment

 by Rod Ward, Member Australia Chapter and QPI SIG

I’ve provided a zip file you can download, containing a typical Visio file of a navigable business process, created according to the methodology I outlined in “How to build an interactive flowchart with Visio.” This is a version of a Visio file that I did for a client, with all the references to the client removed. This process is a Workplace Hazard Management Process. There is another more complex one for handling actual safety incidents (where someone gets hurt or real damage occurs) and it has at least three levels, but this one shows the basic idea just as well. (more…)

The “Documentation Checklist/Audit Form” by James Eiland supports a method of quality assurance for developing documents. The checklist was created specifically for Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). There are numbered sections which correspond to paragraph heads in a typical template for an SOP. However, the checklist could be made more generic and apply to any type of documentation, or be customized for other specific types. 
 
The checklist incorporates provisions from ISO 9000 for continuous improvement and client satisfaction measurement. 
 
How would you customize this checklist for use by your organization in assuring quality of documentation and satisfaction of your customers? Please leave comments, and the QPI SIG will aggregate the comments received in a more generic checklist to help guide authors, editors, instructors, and reviewers to verify and validate technical documentation efforts in a standardized manner. 
 
Please suggest in your comments also the points in the documentation life cycle where the checklist could be used.