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Forming a Technical Writing Review Team

There is already insufficient emphasis on writing a manual or document. However, the emphasis given to forming a technical review team is almost non-existent. Putting together a review team is just as crucial as the need for reviewing the manual. Companies repeatedly make the mistake of not putting enough importance on the selection of the members of the review team.

The makeup of a review team will immediately tell you how effective the review will be. That in turn will affect the usefulness of the document or manual even before the review is done.

Reviewers inevitably influence and determine the final output of a manual or document. Technical writers are subject to the review team's impression and assumptions of how a manual or document should be. Selecting a good review team is an essential part to the production of a manual.

COMMON MISTAKES WHEN FORMING A REVIEW TEAM

Comprising only one reviewer - This will give an imbalanced view to the document. If the reviewer is a knowledge expert, it will undoubtedly be influenced by assumptions. An expert is more prone to being unaware of what a layperson may not know. On the other hand, a layperson reviewing the manual may not know enough of the subject to validate the accuracy of the information.

Too many reviewers in the team - This is a case where assigning more reviewers is not better. It is important to note that every reviewer will have their own opinions and perceptions on the manual. Having too many differing opinions can make a manual ineffective and even confusing. The review process will definitely be extended as it is often difficult to reach a compromise with differing views.

I had once worked with a review team of eight members which was contrary to my recommendation. A case where the client was convinced that more was better. The completion the project took four months longer than planned. More time was spent on reaching a compromise within the review team.

Wrong make up of its review members - Having the right number of review members is not enough, there has to be a correct mix of reviewers in the team. If you have three reviewers all of whom are knowledge experts, it makes little difference to having just one knowledge expert reviewing the manual. It does not represent the business and readers' perspective. It is important to remember who the manual is written for.

COMPOSITION OF A GOOD REVIEW TEAM

A good review team varies in terms of its team makeup. It is dependent on the purpose of the manual and its target readers. As a general rule, a good review team should consist of between 3 and 4 members. They are:

• One subject knowledge expert.
• One business domain expert (the person who gives the final approval).
• Two laypersons (minimum is one).

It is crucial that the review team is briefed on the manual's objectives and target readership.
 

About The Author Lo Wai Munn is a trainer, a technical writer and web content professional with more than a 15 years of experience. He has authored several manuals for international distribution and process documents for multinational companies. He was a recipient of a Letter of Commendation from the Ministry of Education, Singapore, for his involvement in training and user manual development.

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