Guide Documents: Planning Guide

I'm currently developing this document. Stay tuned.

Here are two definitions of guide documents:

In the governmental world, guide documents, or guidance documents, are intended to provide helpful information to the public, such as clarifying obligations under an existing law or regulation, or providing information on agency procedures. In other words, they translate the complex legal language of administrative rules to enable the public to abide by those rules.
Elsewhere, a guide is a document, publication, or digital resource that provides step-by-step instructions, tips, and information on how to perform specific tasks, use products, or understand complex concepts. A guide can also contain troubleshooting information, links to related communities, and links to related research.

As you can see, a guide document, at its core, is a set of instructions but with other resources to make it more widely useful.

This guide contains readings about guides, examples, requirements for your guide, and a planning process for thinking about key details of this project:

Readings

These links open in a separate browser window:

Examples

Planning

Use this planning guide to start thinking about the key details for your guide document (it is not required). When you are through, you can e-mail this planning information to yourself. (Your instructor automatically receives your planning notes.)

If you've not already done so, review the white-paper readings above.
By now, you have read different perspectives on guide documents and seen different examples of them. In the space below, define the guide that you want to write.
Describe the mechanism or process that is the focus of your guide (for example, if it's a new device that improves wifi communication):
Explain the task or tasks that your guide addresses (for example, weak wifi signals over longer distances):
Describe the audience you expect to read your guide—especially in terms of their technical level, expectations, and preferences (for other products) and how you hope they will react:
Describe the outcomes that would arise from using your guide document:
Describe the problems or hazards associated with the task or tasks presented by your guide document:
Make a list of the headings and subheadings you expect to use in your guide document:
Make a list of the graphics (images) you expect to use in your guide document, briefly describing each (including the decorative ones):
Make a list of the tables, pie charts, column or bar charts, line graphs you think you might include in your guide document:
If you think that these guide document will require some background discussion of theory, explain that in the box below.
Make a tentative list of the information resources you may need to write your guide or cite in your guide document—including nonprint resources such as interviews and site investigations:

Requirements

For your guide document:

Make your guide document as clear, readable, and understandable as possible. Avoid telegraphic writing style: omitting "understood" words like a, an, the, simple verbs.
For the introduction to your guide document, use the suggestions in the introduction chapter in the online textbook as applicable.
Make sure you use the format for headings that is standard in this course or your organization.
Make sure you use the various types of lists in the standard format for this course. In particular, use numbered vertical lists as the format for the steps in your guide document whenever possible.
Use the standard format for notices (format for notes, warning, caution, and danger notices in the standard format for this course or your organization.
If you include graphics (images) in your guide document, use the guidelines in the graphics chapter. Use the format that is standard for this course or your organization (for example, standard labels, titles, cross-references). The chapter does not address decorative images, which seem common in guide documents. Include them as you see fit.
Indicate the source of any information you borrow using the guidelines provided by the documentation chapter.
As with all writing assignments in this course or your organization, use the standards of good writing style, grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. Of course!
Name your file with your handle and _guide document, for example, davidmc_guide document.docx.

Caution: Keep a safe copy of this and all other assignments. If you do not receive confirmation of receipt from your instructor, doublecheck with your instructor.

Your name:
Send this planning information to me at the following e-mail address:

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