>> 10 Factors to Consider When Sizing (or Estimating) Your Writing Projects

One of the most difficult things to do, especially when you are getting started as a technical writer, is to size, or estimate, a writing job. And that is exactly what management and clients want you to do right up front: tell them how long it will take you to create the documentation from start to finish and how much it will cost.

[Note: This post was prepared by guest blogger, Deb Lockwood, a lead technical writer for CSG Systems, Inc. While Deb's approach to sizing or estimating writing projects is oriented toward technical writing and editing (e.g.,  software and hardware user guides and online help topics), any writer will benefit from Deb's thought process on how to size a writing project.]

It can be difficult to know how to assess a project size. Some folks use formulas that they’ve seen on Web sites or read in books, some ask other writers, and some resort to wild guesses. In this post I suggest a more reliable and realistic method: ask yourself!

Metrics

If you search the Internet you may run into some formulas that purport to hold the key to the “how long and how much” questions. A technical writing expert might recommend that you estimate the project size as time per page (e.g., an hour of writing time per page). Although that formula might prove helpful to an experienced writer, that method assumes that you know up front approximately how many pages you will end up with, which is not very likely unless you are editing an existing document.

After many years of searching for and being frustrated by these types of formulas I have discovered that the best way to size a writing project is for writers to gather their own metrics for themselves.

My reasoning is simple. The length of time it takes you to do something might be a totally different number than how long it takes for the next person to do that same thing. Also, that other person might include other factors in his or her calculations (e.g., editing time) and you may not do the same.

Determining Factors

I’ve found that the amount of time it takes me to write, edit, and finalize a writing project varies widely depending on the following factors:

1. Will I be using a template?
   If I use a template I’ll have fewer decisions to make about the document’s layout. Fewer decisions equals shorter timeframes.
2. Will I be writing using style standards?
   If I am writing the information for my employer according to our company’s set standards, things will probably go quicker for me because I’ll have fewer verbiage decisions to make.
3. Do I need to scrounge for information?
   Am I going to need to scrounge around for source information, or are there designs or other types of information that I can use to learn about the topic (e.g., existing software application system designs that can be used for new software applications)? If there is sufficient source information, it usually takes me less time to ramp up and write it up. Scrounging can take a lot longer.
4. Will I be producing user guides (longer) or help topics (shorter)?
   I find it quicker to write and arrange help topics than to create a guide from scratch. Help topics are smaller chunks of information that are based on a single topic, like “Logging on,” “Adding addresses,” or “Setting security.”
5. Do I need to deliver the project whole or in parts?
   Sometimes projects can be delivered in parts or phases. Does management or the client expect me to create the entire thing all at one time, or can I create a part of it now (phase 1) and additional parts (phases 2-3) at a later time?
6. Do I already know the content development tool?
   If you are expected to create the document using Microsoft Word, do you already know how to use that tool? Or if they are online help topics, do you know MadCap Flare or whatever tool in which you will author the content?
7. If there will be graphics in the deliverables, do I produce those, and do I know the tools?
   Am I expected to include graphics or screen shots? If I am to include screen shots, things will probably go fairly quickly. If I have to create, purchase, or otherwise find graphics, the project is going to take me a long time. I may even have to contract out that work to a graphic artist.
8. What is the type of content?
   Is the information I’m creating concrete (such as processes or procedures), or is it about or concepts? Conceptual language normally takes me longer to create. Procedures go pretty quickly.
9. Am I familiar with the overarching topic that I am documenting?
   If I have already been exposed to the topic, I will have less ramp-up time, which translates to less writing time.
10. Did I write the original draft, or am I editing someone else’s work?
    If it is someone else’s, it will probably take me longer than writing something from scratch myself because the content will be brand new to me. Of course, the amount of time it takes me will also depend on who the other writer is, his or her skill level, and his or her comfort with the topic.

Adding Time

Remember that things can and do happen. For example, you may have computer problems, files might get corrupted, or family issues might arise. Make sure to account for unanticipated events. To do so, add an additional 10% to your total estimated project time.

Conclusion

By gathering metrics about yourself and your methods for creating writing projects, you can more effectively size your writing projects. Using your own numbers will ensure that you end up with a realistic picture of what it will take to produce the final deliverable.

About the Author

Deb Lockwood is a lead technical writer with CSG Systems, Inc. (www.csgsystems.com) and an Associate Fellow with the Society for Technical Communications (STC) (www.stc.org). Besides writing and volunteering her time to the STC, she runs a job search networking group called Ready, Set, Work at her church in Westminster, Colorado. To support that networking group she authors that group’s blog (http://readysetwork.wordpress.com/). Deb’s LinkedIn profile is available at http://www.linkedin.com/in/deblockwood.

existing software application system designs that can be used for new software applications

>> Cross Post #2–How to Set Rates & Fees

Great copy abounds on making it as an independent contractor.

This Cross Post Series is a portal for useful sites of hands-on information independent contractors need to run and grow their businesses. Folks hiring professionals who earn their livelihoods through mastered crafts will find these Cross Posts helpful, too.

Andréa Coutu is the founder of ConsultantJournal.com and a blogger about how to achieve success as an independent consultant. I discovered her on the Metafilter site, specifically through the “freelance” tag on AskMeFi.

The single-most (personally observed), sought-after information by independent consultants is the answer to the question, How do I set independent consultant rates and fees?

Andréa presents the nitty-gritty of consulting fee models and strategies for setting fees, and in doing so, creates a broad view of your business:

• the realistic number of billable hours you have in a year
• why you should consider bad debt into your rate and fee
• the overhead you pay
• a reasonable profit margin to expect in exchange for your business risk

Then she links you to Finance for Consultants to round out the view of your responsibilities as a business owner.

Read Andréa’s article on Setting Consulting Fees here.

Write on and be well.

>> Cross Post #1–How to Hire a Writer

Great copy abounds on making it as an independent contractor.

This Cross Post Series is a portal for useful sites of hands-on information independent contractors need to run and grow their businesses. Folks hiring professionals who earn their livelihoods through mastered crafts will find these Cross Posts helpful, too.

Independent contractors are always “pen-ready”; that is, they always have these tools in grabbing-location when a client says, Yes! Let’s roll!

• Proposal and Statement of Work
• Contract
• Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA)
• W-9
• Down Payment Invoice

John White, marketing writer for venTAJAmarketing, discusses each of these documents in How to Hire a Writer, and why writers need to submit them to their clients, and why clients need to request them of their writers.

Write on and be well.

>> What is the difference between a goal and an objective?

Goals state what must be accomplished to meet a vision or mission. Objectives state what actions must be completed to accomplish the goals.

This post evolved because I became confused on the difference between these two words. I set myself straight here in writing in case I stumble again.

The confusion arose out of what I write regularly for a client on goal setting–how to write specific goals–and a recent client request to edit a strategic plan that included content on goals and objectives.

In searching for the difference so I could properly edit the strategic plan, I came upon this: goals are broad statements; objectives are specific statements.

???…I thought goals were specific. Then I discovered Carter McNamara’s articles on strategic planning:

• Basic Guidelines for [a] Successful Planning Process

• Strategic Planning (in nonprofit or for-profit organizations)

Carter McNamara (MBA, PhD, from Authenticity Consulting, LLC) set the difference straight for me by stating how they are similar: both can be SMART–specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound; only that one serves a mission or vision (goal); the other serves a goal (objective).

Mr. McNamara also helped me think hierarchically about strategic plans in general:

1. Complete tasks to meet objectives
2. Complete objectives to meet goals
3. Complete goals to accomplish a mission or vision
4. Accomplish a mission or vision as a means to provide a sense of purpose, or to “arrive” at your desired professional or personal destination

A moniker I’ll use to remember all that: tog’m

So there you have it. I’m not going to write more because so many have written so much about goals and objectives. For more ways to remember the difference between them, though, take a look at this post by Vinod Kumar Agrasala, ITSM, for some snappy statements on goals and objectives.

Example

Mission
Stay on top of trends in language and how it’s communicated so I can help others do the same.

Goal
Demonstrate my writing and editing skills through blog posts.

Objective
Shake sporadic blog posting; become a regular poster!

Tasks

1. Keep a list of potential blog posts
2. Write more than one post at a time to create a back-log of posts
3. Solicit colleagues to contribute to my blog
4. Publish at least one post per week

>> What is Indexing?

…an editorial service I’m very excited about—a thing of beauty, and a great utility. While indexers use indexing software, there is no replacement for human decisions in choosing what is included in an index and how it is articulated and organized.

[This blog post written by Judy Gordon;Writer, Editor, Indexer; Denver, CO; http://judygordon.biz/]

Perhaps you may be pretty savvy about the full range of editorial services, but I find that when I tell people I do indexing, they ask me “what’s that?”

And that it is exactly what I asked my friend Susan a couple of years ago, when she said that she thought I would be very good at (and enjoy) indexing. I was curious enough to find out what indexing was and now I am passionate about it.

You remember your student days, when you were writing papers about new topics and went to the library (I’m dating myself here!) to use reference books. You immediately went to the index at the back of the book to find just what you needed.

The Nonfiction Writing Growth Spurt

Nonfiction writing has just mushroomed in the last ten years. With all that new information, indexes have become even more important to us users. How can we manage all the information we want and need without having an index in the resources we use, whether they be hard copy or online? I’ve heard from so many readers who bemoan the fact that an author (or publisher) has not included an index – or worse yet, has included a poor index. They feel adrift. The book is difficult to process and to refer to after the initial read.

The joy I get from indexing comes from knowing that I have the power to help readers truly enjoy and utilize (and re-utilize) the author’s content. It’s like a logic problem – I anticipate what readers will be looking for; I take what the author has written about; and I create a user-friendly road map with which readers can access the content. I think an index is a thing of beauty, as well as a great utility.

Who Creates Indexes?

You may think that indexes are created by authors, but in fact the vast majority of indexes are created by professional indexers (and we have a trade association, The American Society for Indexing in the United States, with similar associations world-wide). You may also think that computers are capable of creating indexes. While indexers use designated indexing software, there is no replacement for human decisions in choosing what is included in an index and how it is articulated and organized.

So next time you pick up a nonfiction book, thumb through the index before buying it. You can get an excellent idea about what’s in the book and you’ll know whether or not it is a book that will be worth your investment. And when you find a good index, think of the professional indexer who gave his or her all to make your reading experience a gratifying one!

For more information on Judy Gordon and her writing, editing, and indexing, visit http://judygordon.biz/.

>> How to Prevent Scope Creep–A writer’s perspective

One of the signs of “arriving” as an independent contractor is receiving payment for every hour worked, and at your hourly or project rate—not some watered-down one because things took longer than you thought they would.

You need only one experience of watching your hourly or project rate diminish to a fraction of what it should be before you start paying attention to what will prevent that from occurring again. Scope creep—projects that grow beyond the original statement of work—is a typical culprit for watered-down rates, along with underestimating how long tasks take to complete.

Over the years, I’ve been able to refine my quotes and contracts to lesson the likelihood of scope creep occurring. Aside from being able to maintain a sane composure throughout a project, knowing what causes scope creep and how to prevent it also allows me to demonstrate my project management abilities. That adds value to my writing and editing skills.

Note: Most of the projects I work on involve three to seven people and span the course of a couple weeks to four months. Avoiding scope creep for long, complex projects might require more advice than what is discussed here.

The way I prevent scope creep is to:

• write a good contract
• know how long it takes to complete specific writing and editing tasks

Write a Good Contract

I know independent contractors who use proposals, project summary letters, or formal contracts to seal the deal and officially launch a writing or editing project. Whatever type of document you use to formalize the business relationship with your client, address the three contract elements discussed below to help prevent projects from growing into hairy beasts. Doing so will help you fully scope your project and clearly define what should happen, and when.

1. Clearly Summarize the Project and State Project Deliverables

Define your project as your client understands it, with as much specificity as possible. Include a project summary and state each deliverable, with its due date. If there are too many unknowns to do this thoroughly, or your client is dependent on third-party deliverables, knowing events that could add project time and cost (see 2. below) and defining project assumptions (see 3. below) will help you maintain your “real” rate.

The sample bulleted outline I provide below is based on a project I did to write web copy for a specific audience. I wrote the copy in MS Word, then reviewed and edited once it was flowed into the website. Depending on what applications you use to publish content, your project might require a different outline.

• Project Summary:
  • project goal(s) and objective(s)
  • target audience
  • desired outcome(s) after publication
  • project delivery method (print or digital, and created with what application)
• Deliverables (broken down by tasks, each with a due date)
  • attend project kick-off meeting
  • research the audience
  • prepare focus group outline
  • facilitate focus group meeting
  • research industry or audience background, issues, and trends
  • prepare outline
  • write first draft
  • write second draft
  • deliver final draft to website developer
  • web content review 1
  • web content review 2

2. State Events that Could Add Project Time and Cost

If you’re in a project that seems it is about to unwind, take note of the events that is causing it to be that way. The next time you write a contract, include those occurrences as events that could add project time and cost. Examples:

• new content requirements introduced after the first draft has been submitted
• additional review cycles over stated amount (per your stated deliverables)
• task requests beyond those agreed upon (per your stated deliverables)
• substantial rewrite requests, where “substantial” means you have to chuck content sections and completely rewrite them because, say, your client wants a different perspective or doesn’t like what you wrote, even though you wrote to the outline

3. State Project Assumptions

Project assumptions establish the conditions under which you’ll work and complete your project. Any condition that ceases to exist could alter your project scope and schedule. If you notice a change in conditions and feel they could cause scope creep, discuss the changes with your client and adjust your contract if necessary.

Example conditions under which you assume to work:

• your primary project contact
• person responsible for processing your invoices
• person who can approve changes to your contract
• expiration date of your contract, proposal, or project summary letter
• project team member roles
• which team member is responsible for what
• person who will conduct or provide the research
• requests for information will be provided in a timely manner (state expected turnaround, such as within 24 hours, or by the end of the business day)
• if invoices are based on project milestones, payments will be made on time (state what on time means, such as “upon receipt of invoice” or “30 days from date of invoice”)
• late payments could jeopardize the project schedule

Know How Long Specific Tasks Take

Knowing how long tasks take to complete makes you smart, especially when someone on your team wants to change course. You can enter those project-change discussions armed with data that gives you 20-20 vision to the date of the project end-game, and whether it will occur on time or not.

In addition to making you smart, tracking your time will help you make more money. You will be able to provide more accurate project quotes–quotes that help ensure that you get paid for every hour you work, at your hourly or project rate, and not some watered-down one because things took longer than you thought they would.

If you don’t track how long tasks take, begin doing so with your next task. Use the time tracker provided with your accounting software. If you don’t use that software or it doesn’t have a time tracker, Google “free time tracker” to download one.

>> What Should You Expect from an Editor?

Enthusiasm for and skill in tending to your content so your target audience can heed and act upon your message

On occasion I am asked to “just do a quick edit.” That is like asking a marathoner to “just do a quick marathon–only run miles 11, 17, and 23.” It can’t be done. Editors can edit quickly, but they edit a lot, quickly. To put this into perspective, I’ll tell you a pre-cellphone tale. When I was a sales representative, I covered three states, I drove over 40 thousand miles a year, and my car was my office. Because I relied on pay phones to get my job done, I could spot a pay phone that would be invisible to the untrained eye. I spotted those phones everywhere, all the time. Editors spot content that needs editing, everywhere, all the time. The act of editing is part of who they are. Editors can’t not edit. They hit every project from a minimum of eight angles (see bulleted list below) and with trained eyes. That angular view is an automatic reflex. To ask an editor to do less is like asking someone to brush just a quarter of his teeth.

What Editors Do

Editors maintain checklists of tasks to complete with the goal of preventing you or your target audience from yelping Holy Crap!??! while reading or listening to your published content. The number of tasks editors complete depends on an organization’s editorial preferences, but there are standard tasks editors complete for every project. Here are some of those task items for which editors create checklists and budget time:

• Mechanics: proper grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling
• Word usage: appropriate and consistent use of language, suitable for the target audience and content goal
• Cross references (1): consistent use and expression of people, places, events, companies, quantities, and so on
• Cross references (2): accurate reference to page, table, and figure numbers; front and back matter (preface, list of abbreviations, appendices, bibliography); and section and chapters in the table of contents and index
• Facts and figures: accurate and truthful references to quantities, dates, problems, solutions, results, and so on
• Accurate and consistent use of:
  • Page headers and footers
  • Chapter, section, and paragraph headers and text style
  • Character style

How Editors Edit

Before I get into that, first imagine you’re about to enter a new grocery store–you’ve never been there before. And you need to buy cheese cloth. In what aisle should you look? Possible options: Baking, Kitchen Items, Dairy. Suppose you’re wrong on all counts, and you find it in the Specialty aisle. Once familiar with that store, though,you skate in with your list and out with five bags in the same amount of time it took to find that cheese cloth. So it goes with editing. Like the hunt for cheese cloth, editors hunt for items (errors in your content) in completely new territory all the time. And like your visits to the new grocery store, the more editors “visit” your content so it isn’t new any more, the more they see and are able to correct.

Many editors will read content a minimum of three times before submitting the first draft. You and your editor will base a contract on a certain number of draft submissions (typically, two; more for technical content). With each content review, editors become deeper and deeper engrossed with content until they understand its mechanics better than the authors. And you want that deep understanding, in the way you want the same from your doctor’s understanding of your body. It is the only way to keep you fit, or in the case of your content, the only way to help prevent the yelping of Holy Crap!??! in some distant forest of readers or listeners.

How Much Does Editing Cost?

How much does it cost to build a house? It depends on the number of rooms you want, the materials used, the location, and so on. The cost of editing depends on many variables as well. How good a grasp of the language does the author have? How technical is the content? How many pages need to be edited? Is the edited piece part of a larger marketing campaign? Editors can spend from 15 minutes per page of edited content (where a page has about 400-450 words) to over two hours per page. The only way an editor can provide you with an accurate estimate of how much it will cost to edit your content is to first review and edit about 10 representative pages of it.

If hiring an editor is new territory for you, know this: Editors love language, how it is expressed, and how it changes over time. You can expect enthusiasm over your editing project and tender loving care over your words, sentences, sections, and chapters. Editors edit so your target audience can heed and act upon your message.

>> How to Write for Your Audience

The skills you use to write for your target audience are no different than the ones you use to talk to your grandmother

Aside from your sincere and engaging voice, you probably talk to your grandmother in language she understands, maybe teach her a new hip word or two, have her practice it to make sure she’s got it down, and carry on in ways that interest her and make her feel good about you and life in general. And you can be sure she’ll take your call the next time it comes in, and say yes to your invitation to lunch.

It’s all about word choice–choosing words your audience responds to and acts upon. That response or action can be a change in behavior, dialing your phone number to ask you questions about your product, or clicking Proceed to Checkout on your website.

The words you use on your website, blog, or print collateral demonstrate how intimately you know and understand your audience. The closer your copy reflects your audience’s vocabulary, use of idiomatic phrases, and life experiences, the more sincere and believable you (and your product, service, or recommendation) will come across. So as you conduct research to analyze your audience, consider how you would answer these questions:

• What is the most important thing you want your audience to understand from your publication?
• What arguments are you going to posit, and how will you substantiate them so they are viewed as credible and valid?
• What information does your audience need to change a behavior, to do business with you, or to take whatever action your publication recommends?
• What does success (the changed behavior, the action taken) look like?
• What benefit does your publication offer even if your audience doesn’t take any action?

Divide and Conquer

If you are writing for more than one audience, first write to a general audience, then write sections that speak to specific audiences. For the best response, write copy targeted to specific audiences. Say, for example, on your next sales call, you’ll be making presentations to these stakeholders: the people responsible for selecting your product, using your product, and acquiring new market share. Your approach to and desired outcomes from each of these presentations could potentially turn up three different sets of language to use, and three different sets of needs and wants to address.

If you’re unsure about all this, listen to your next conversation with your grandmother, or with the person that forces you out of your day-to-day world and into hers. Listen to the questions you ask to find out more about her world and what it takes for her to be successful in it, or, in the case of your grandmother, what it takes for her to feel good about herself and the world.

>> How to Analyze Your Audience

If you want your targeted audience to read or hear your recommendations, then remember and act upon them, express yourself in a vernacular that reflects your audience’s life experiences

Internet research makes audience analysis a pretty easy task. To get a close-up view of the people you’re about to write for, read content published by others who have written about your audience, or visit the sites your audience does.

Define Key Words for Searches

To begin a web search for analyzing your audience, search on key words that describe your audience as you understand it now. Start with words that describe your audience’s demographics, and the problem or issue your audience is trying to solve. As your research progresses, you will come to know the language used by people writing about your audience, as well as the language your audience speaks. From that language you will develop a sophisticated set of key search words that will lead you deeper into your research and to more meaningful content. Be sure to conduct searches in blogs and on twitter.

Subscription-Based Publications and Databases

You will undoubtedly come across in your research for-fee publications targeting your audience or the people who serve it. If you or your company is working on a shoe-string budget, don’t be turned off by the fee. It can turn out to be a slight financial inconvenience for making a gigantic improvement in the quality of your content.

Your Audience–Your Friend

What you want to do is get to know your audience as you would a new circle of friends. Being curious will lead you through your audience’s many-layered personality. As you conduct your research, look for answers to these questions.

• What people, places, events, or things does your audience value most?
• How does your audience make decisions?
• What motivates those decisions?
• What does your audience already know about your topic?
• What would it like to know?
• How likely is your audience to change behavior or perceptions around your product, service, or recommendation?

Internet research is one tool to help you analyse your audience. Conducting focus group meetings, or going to places where your audience hangs out are other ways you can put yourself in your audience’s shoes. When you finally begin writing, let your audience come to life in your mind. And let the experiences your audience has had become evident in your copy.

>> Going Digital

Limited funds and lack of a web presence sent me packing to WordPress.

I just moved to Whitefish, MT (small ski town) from Denver, CO (big buzzing metropolis). My writing and editing business took a hit with this move for two reasons: (1) the economy; (2) I sought new business at industry networking events, which are in short supply here. For any single subject matter I could write about, Denver has multiple professional organizations in which I could network to find new clients. Not so in Whitefish. Business is different here. Thanks to all the kind folks who have helped me thus far.

With limited funds, a near-invisible web presence, and a shortage of industry networking organizations, I jumped on WordPress to write about the craft of business-to-business (B2B) writing and editing, and other life stuff. I can’t get away with a one-page website anymore. And with the desire to control my own content in an affordable way, WordPress, you’ve become the producer of Braun & Company, Act II.

I’ve reaped the benefits of the free web over the years–time to be of use for others and share what I know about writing and editing, and how I’ve applied it.

Cheers to all who love anything that has to do with words.