Information and Documentation

Documentation and records for knowledge work must be useful, concise (where required), accurate, and most importantly, used. Documentation and records have several aspects to be considered: purpose, audience, usage, content, detail level, length, structure, source, history, future, lifecycle, outcome, and approval requirements. It’s too easy to “start a document” without thinking through the aspects listed above. Plan the document and its lifecycle, before starting it. Otherwise you have a pile of puzzle pieces without knowing what the finished picture looks like. There are too many unfinished, unapproved, and unused documents out there already. Start writing with the finish in mind.