Metrics that matter: Making the business case that documentation has value (rochester)

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Christopher WardBernard Aschwanden

www.webworks.comwww.publ ishingsmarter.com

[email protected]@publishingsmarter.com

Metrics That Matter:Making the Business Case that

Documentation Has Value1

@aschwanden4stc @webworkschris

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Overall Objectives

Tell the story around content as a business asset. We agree there is value in documentation but have been challenged at times to “prove it”

Present to groups including sales, support, service, IT, engineering, QA/testing, manufacturing, HR, training, finance, marketing, and every other business unit in your organization

Demonstrate how documentation drives sales and generates corporate revenue to managers and executives helping them see how important documentation is to them


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What you can expect to learn3

Gain tools and processes needed to prove the value of documentation.

Show that docs provide valuable information to the intended audience

Prove that docs benefit marketing, sales, and technical support teams

Explain the value of documentation through the tools and processes used in these other departments.

Leave empowered to walk into any discussion knowing how to present the value of documentation and to explain why technical communicators should always be in charge of that documentation.


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We will not…4

Discuss HOW to collect the numbersDetail complex spreadsheets, charts, graphsExplain how to create a slideshow


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Defining “business case”5

Formal, written content created to convince decision makers to approve a specific action.

Ideally it explores all feasible approaches to a given problem and enables business owners to select the option that best serves the organization.

In the context of documentation, it may be used to justify why a documentation team is best serving a business by showing the value to every part of the organization.


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The story6

WebWorks was launching a new product (CloudDrafts) and had a development plan

Needed docs, and looked at that early onSales (Chris) was onboard early to have

professional writers for many reasons Frees up developers to develop Provide higher quality content Leads to more revenue

Had to pitch this to others in the organization


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What we knew going into the discussions around this project

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The business value of content


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Content effects the whole business

Data/Content is not a problem to be addressed by: Sales IT Marketing Development Any single business unit

It is a business problem because if done wrong or right, it will effect the whole business.

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How we wanted to position the conversation with key players

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Promoting the value


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Include in your promo to Sales10

Sales leads who read online docs ask better questions, are more qualified (informed consumer)

People review docs as part of the purchasing cycle

Sales people need to know that docs help make sales easier, and that numbers go up

More time with qualified buyers, less time wasted with uninformed consumers

More sales helps the business


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Include in your promo to Support/Service

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Writing docs means testing the productsReduce bugs, increase time answering “real”

questions

Support continues to support clients, not act as software testers (in beta… not even a final product)

Service continues to develop solutions with clients (billable time to a client)

Happy clients helps the business


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Include in your promo to IT/Engineering

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Provides a second set of eyes on dialogs, error logs, anything “written for a client”

These people were not hired to write

Less for IT to test (writers provide some level of input)

Engineering develops new product (instead of writing weak content, they provide strong input)

Product improvements helps the business


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Include in your promo to QA/Testing13

As with service and engineering, another set of eyes, with an impartial view and no known history (no bias)

Usability tested during content creation (if it doesn’t work as planned, documentation will prove it)

Let QA/testing focus on complex use cases, not the day-to-day ones

Stable, reliable products helps the business@aschwanden4stc @webworkschris

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Manufacturing? HR/Training/Finance/Marketing?14

Every business unit in your organization is similarThey are often overworked, underappreciated,

understaffed, or they feel they areMore often than not this is because they aren’t doing

their core jobs, and not through fault of their own

Dedicated doc teams helps the business With the right support you reduce overhead in other

departments People do the jobs they were hired to do, and are supported in

content creation for the customer, with a focus on user need


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Top 500 corporations love content

Some of the names should be on the l is t , and some are not what you expect

Backup the idea that content matters


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Content is a business asset

Apple: Empowers people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Depends on content, provides tools to consume it.

Netflix: The world’s leading Internet television network with over 75 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films.

Google: Everything they do is about content. Finding content, delivering content, creating content. They make money when you look for content.


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More companies, more content17

Adobe: Help you create contentMicrosoft: Create and manage contentIBM: Manage, deliver, analyze contentSamsung: Consume contentVerizon: Deliver contentWalt Disney: Create content

See a pattern? Content is king


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January, 1996 essay: Content is king “Content is where I expect

much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”

Remains true today: Content is a business asset

Great content means a great business asset

Content is not just what is seen by the public

Copyright, trademarks, software code, legal, medical patents, help docs, sales reports, marketing materials and so much more

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Without them you have no baseline and no hope to make a

business case

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Get your metrics started


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General ideas

Metrics are calculated measurements (planned, devised)

They must have value as it pertains to a project

Used for decision making


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Consider all parts of a project

DependenciesCritical componentsProcesses

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Things to measure22

TimeCostsResourcesProductivityQualityEfficiencyCustomer satisfactionOthers your business values


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Benefits and uses23

Create more accurate project estimatesTalk clearly/numerically about why it took

longer than expected–speak with authorityJustify expenditures (e.g. new hires,

contractors), tools (licenses, upgrades), or services (trainers)

Have numerically sound reasons for updates to procedures & processes, changes in software tools, attendance at training or seminars, etc.


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Benefits and uses (continued)24

Justify saying “no” to increased project scope or to insist on “yes” to your needs

Measure time, money, resources, etc; use this for making strategic decisions

Present information in a way that is easily consumed by management

Determine your documentation improvement strategy with customer satisfaction metrics


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Discovery of a need for content25

The WebWorks story


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WebWorks: Key Players26

Tony McDow, CEO/Founder(doubles as “Mitch” in Baywatch)

Chris Ward, Director of Sales(doubles as “Eugene” in Walking Dead)

Ben Allums, Director of Engineering(doubles as “Locutus” from Star Trek)


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The Vision: CloudDrafts27


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Development28

No documentation existed for CloudDraftsKnowing content is a key business asset, helps

drive sales Chris pitched the importance of content to Tony Easy pitch as Tony is already in the world of tech comm Tony grasped the importance of docs for both internal

and public useFirst thought was “let’s get the developers to

write it” Then laughter, lots of laughter Not because the developer isn’t a good writer, but…


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Writing expertise29

Chris to Tony: “Ben can’t do all the writing…” He’s an engineer, we don’t pay them to talk to customers He’s paid to manage development, not write manuals Developers are paid to create code, support product

growth, enhance functions and features This is new, advanced tech, putting demand on Ben’s team There is an education period for customers, we need

tutorials We need to explain the concept of our repository Knew we needed good docs to ensure people can relate to

it and have success. Good docs equals success.


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Initial steps30

Discussed budget numbersAsked vendors for a few quotes/bids,

reviewed them,Didn’t make the call JUST on the

dollars Also looked at experience in writing tech

content Vetted writers based on knowledge of

similar (but obviously substandard competing tools )

Had discussions with stakeholders, got to know the personalities and found a good fit


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Initial onboarding of writers31

Demo to show functions and ask questions Both the writing and development teams

asked questions The product evolved with writers

questions Expectation of lower service and support

needs due to questions (anticipated issues before product release based on input, changes made before RTM)

During testing and docs writing, WebWorks reorganized the product, value added to the engineering team


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Delivery of the finished product

From the beginning, content was in DITA

Published via WebWorks (drink our own champagne)

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Once content was published…33

Finished product seen by CEO/sponsor Positive impression, understood the benefits of what

was done by the content team, Delivered content and attached metrics

Tracking who looks at what, how oftenContent achieves the goals it was designed

for Easy to use Educates and encourages people to use the product Helps drive sales


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Moving forward34

Helps with future product development Pinpoints where people have trouble Identify the most common topics searched for, time on

page, search resultsThrough discovery realized more features

were neededDocs helped provide a clear roadmap to

CloudDrafts v2.0


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Net results35

24/7 educational responses to customer inquiries

Feedback for customers to express true needs, to see what they wanted to do

Better than a focus group, it was live results, and evolved as content was updated

Allowed WebWorks to realize revenue quicker with solid documentation

All backed with metrics using Google Analytics


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It can be your proof that this where you make the business

profitable

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So what is the value of docs?


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Top 10 lists are awesome

Ask support for the top 10 questions Document how long to answer them Document how often they answer them If 2 times per day, per rep, and it’s a 5 minute answer

Rep spends 10min/day. If 6 reps, 1 hour… Each day 365 hours per year (about 9 weeks assuming 40hrs/week)

Document how long a team needs to create answers Assume it takes 2 weeks with 3 people = 6 weeks effort

Compare the savings 2 weeks pass, you “spend” 6 resource weeks, to save 9

weeks/year Resource cost = 6 units, return is 9 units (50%) within 2

weeks…


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Top 10 your sales reps38

What do they demo the most Create videos so that the world can see it Add tutorials to the demo version (if you have one)

What do they find most complex to explain Write clear information to summarize it Free up reps to say “sure, let me send you a copy of

the specs for IT” and then move on


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Top 10 your content39

Not only the 10 things MOST read/reviewedAlso the 10 things LEAST read/reviewed

Is it because the content is not ‘findable’ Or no longer relevant Has the issue been fixed In any case, if no one reads it, why do you

create/edit/manage it


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Tools, t ips, processes

What you can do to improve


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Stop doing “the same thing”41

Just rewriting content doesn’t helpIf you repackage bad content into good

content, but do not solve a problem, no one wins


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Comparing two sets of text Your browser is not one of our officially

supported varieties and therefore the flow through certain areas of our site may not be as robust as otherwise. To fully utilize all of our great features, we recommend switching to one of the following: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher (

download now) Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or higher (

download now) If you prefer not switching to one of

our recommended browsers at this time, you are still more than welcome to visit our website, although you may not get to utilize all of our features to their fullest extent,

If you have any questions, please call our Sales Super Centre at 1-800-538-5696.

Our site does not officially support your browser. Feel free to explore with it, but you may not be able to use all our features.

You may want to update your browser. Consider using one of the following: Microsoft Internet Explorer (download now

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If you have questions or encounter problems, please call our Sales Super Centre at 1-800-538-5696.

From 114 words to 67 ~40% reduction! Message is clean, easy to understand Translation costs decrease Message removes the feeling of blame

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http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/default.mspx

http://www.mozilla.com/

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/default.mspx

http://www.mozilla.com/

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Add metrics46

You can start to see how to build a story Make it relatable, talk about what others have done Talk about successes and about failures Explore your metrics Then get to know what people are looking for

Take the story and make it personal


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Summing up the discussion,and options to continue it.

Conclusion and contact


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Your next challenge49

Go tell the story around content as a business asset. Use information in this session to “prove it”

Present to groups including sales, support, service, IT, engineering, QA/testing, manufacturing, HR, training, finance, marketing, and every other business unit in your organization, using their terms, and show value to their teams

Demonstrate how documentation drives sales and generates corporate revenue and help managers and executives understand how important documentation is


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How to do it50

Stats (Gardner) and case study (WebWorks) are tools and process to prove value

Engage and educate your and reduce support, complaints, costs; increases sales cycle, increases profits

Show that good docs (written by good people) reduce overhead and turnover of staff in other departments, improving the entire organization

Walk into any discussion and present the value of documentation

Explain why technical communicators should always be in charge of that documentation.


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Follow up contact information

[email protected] 905 833 8448Twitter: publishsmarter OR aschwanden4stcLinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardaschwanden

[email protected]: @WebWorksChrisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebWorksChrisCompany Facebook:

www.facebook.com/WebWorksePublisherBlog: http://blogs.webworks.com/christopher
