POOR
PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION
CAN
COST YOU MONEY!
“There is almost no product made, either hardware
or software, that wouldn’t cost less, sell better, take less time to install, have better market penetration, demand
a better price, and require less support, if the documentation was more effective."
Michael (Mac) McLean, President
Product Document Productions, LLC.
Hi, I'm Mac McLean, a retired Product Manager, who has spent 40 years in the
design, development, sales, and marketing of HVAC products. I have been directly
involved, not only with the products themselves, but with the technical, marketing and sales literature that supports them.
I learned early on, the importance of effective product documentation and have always been amazed at how much of
it is marginal at best.
All efforts are on the product, while the documentation is an afterthought. It is usually relegated to the end of the project, under funded, and expected to be completed in
an impossibly short time frame. This is an unbalanced
and self-defeating approach.
Let
me assure you that putting a good product out on the market is only half the battle. Effective documentation can save a poor or marginal product, but poor documentation can sink even a good one.
So
what do I mean by “effective documentation”?
"Effective documentation" means a complete set of documents that are
crisply written, technically precise, and logically clear to everyone who has contact with the product.
Providing effective documentation is the only way that your
product will reach its full potential and produce the maximum return on your investment.
This is my mission. I
want to help manufacturers create the kind of product documentation that will maximize their chances of success in the marketplace.
Don’t let your product be undermined by your own literature!
