You have inherited a document that no one is happy with. How do you find out not only what is wrong with it, but also how it should be changed to satisfy everyone? Revising documents require excellent communications skills. You need to also think about:
- What questions should be asked and who should be approached to get your answers?
- Should you just verify the content or should you reorganize and rewrite the content?
How should the writer begin? Finding out what is wrong with the existing document is not an easy task. The best approach recommended is to reach out to others to validate what has to be done. Ask these questions:
- Who is not satisfied with the document and why? –Ask because it could have been written for the wrong audience.
- Who is currently using this document and has copies of it and why? – Ask because they might not have the latest version; verify it.
Next, review the document and gather specific reasons for needed changes. Don’t just find out why it is wrong, find out what was needed or is missing. Then get that information by holding meetings, working across departments, researching and querying all those involved in the original project.
Ask does this document:
- need a rewrite (or reworded) due to a lack of clarity?
- need to be revamped (or overhauled, a real face lift ) due to a lack of organization?
- need to be pitched and revised (corrected) due to its objective not being reached?
If the document needs to be rewritten, find out what is wrong with the verbiage. Ask further questions such as:
- Do they want a briefer, more concise document, or was it too short?
- Was language usage incorrect?
- Was the presentation and the written tone wrong? In other words, was the text too informal or too formal?
- Were the words too technical or not technical enough?
- Did they want more images or less?
If the content needs to be corrected, ask further questions such as:
- Where can you get the correct information? It could just be, for example, that new procedures or policies were put into place and the document just needs to be updated.
- Where are the SME (subject matter experts)? Find all your knowledgeable experts in order to gather all your correct information.
- Why and when were, e.g., policies, procedures, workflows, etc., changed? This way, your readers will see why a revised document was needed.
If the document needs to be revamped, ask all of the above questions as well as:
- In what manner should the document to be altered? Find out exactly how they want it to be changed. If you do not get them to explain what they want, then they will not be happy with your finished product.
- Does it just need reorganization and restructuring or is it all wrong? This is the difficult part, especially if you do not easily see anything wrong with how the document was organized.
If you have had experience in rewriting a document, please share your experience.
Gail Zack Anderson, President of Applause, Inc., has nearly 20 years experience in training and coaching. She
provides individual presentation coaching, and leads effective presentation workshops and effective trainer workshops.
Theresa Pojuner is a Documentation Specialist with over 20 years of writing experience and is skilled in many areas of documentation, for example, Style Guides, Training Manuals and Test Cases, wth a specialty n Technical Writing and Procedures.