Can Technical Communicators adopt the Assembly Line approach?
Adapting the Assembly Line model to suit Technical Communication requires us to take a second look at the accepted Document Development Life Cycle (DDLC). The DDLC spans the phases of Analysis, Design, Development, and Production. The Analysis phase consists of selecting the documentation approach, and developing the plan and schedule. The Design phase consists of information design and document layout. The Development phase consists of Information Analysis, Development (Draft), Review (peer, external), Rework (after each review cycle), and Final Freeze. The Production phase constitutes delivery of the documents in the agreed format. Just as in the automobile industry, the Assembly Line approach for documentation gets noticed in the Development or Implementation phase. Its success however, is dependent on the Analysis and Design phase. The standard practice today is that an author takes ownership of a manual or document and sees it through the entire life cycle. This approach helps the
