Information Development: Managing Your Documentation Projects, Portfolio, and People

Chapter 21. Managing Quality Assurance

	Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.
	--Steve Jobs US computer engineer & industrialist

Why shouldn’t every team member be responsible for the quality of his or her own work during the information-development life cycle? Isn’t it enough to make certain that people are following a sound process and are conscientious? Why does anyone have to manage quality assurance?

In fact, information developers should be responsible for the quality of their work. However, many people involved in the information-development life cycle have roles to play in assuring that the information conveyed to the customers provides value. Product developers, those involved in defining services or processes, information architects, usability professionals, editors, and project managers have responsibility for understanding the customers’ information needs and providing that information to the best of their abilities. Without the involvement of the entire team, you cannot ensure that you are doing the best work.

Under pressure of cost reductions and reductions in force, many project managers and information-development organizations as a whole find themselves compromising on quality assurance. Many organizations no longer employ editors to review content for consistency and readability. Most organizations do not ...