Value of Technical Publications in Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) free essay sample

[pic] Position Paper on Value of Technical Publications in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Besides transferring knowledge, technical publications are also used for marketing a product. Before a product is released in the market, information about the product needs to be effectively communicated to the customers. Well-designed, accurately presented, and attractive marketing collaterals increase the market prospects of a product and reduce support costs. ERP software in India was originally treated as support software and used for back office functions. As companies began to understand the diverse applications of ERP, it was shifted from maintenance of back office functions to the whole of the company. [pic]  ¦ Business Proposals  ¦ Legal Disclaimers  ¦ Policy Manuals  ¦ Style Guide Design  ¦ Template Design TWB is a leading technical communication outsourcing company that provides services in technical documentation. TWB is the ideal choice for leading vendors of ERP solutions. TWB helps customers with all their technical documentation needs such as user guides, administration guides, installation manuals, process and workflow documentation, configuration documents and training materials. We will write a custom essay sample on Value of Technical Publications in Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page TWB works closely with client teams located globally, and assists them in meeting their worldwide product announcements and launch deadlines. TWB’s documentation services enable customers launch their products with world-class documentation. An enterprise system is implemented to develop a business or make it more effective. This is a large investment, and with competition increases and lower profit margins, keeping implementation costs low is important. Up to 80% of the total cost for an ERP system is connected to maintenance activities. A major factor that affects the maintenance of the system, positively or negatively, is the quality of documentation. If the documentation is not satisfying, it needs to be restructured, which leads to a sizeable increase in maintenance effort and total costs. TWB provides documentation with professional quality. Further, ERP systems are standardized systems, which often need modifications to suit the requirements of a specific organization. It is essential for the documentation to be updated accurately and effectively, to reflect the changes made after customization. Economic Business Research  ¦ Industry Analysis  ¦ Market Opportunity Analysis  ¦ Competitive Business Analysis  ¦ Company Prospect Profiling  ¦ Reporting Solutions  ¦ Assessment of Unmet Market Needs  ¦ Status and Potential of Technologies  ¦ Benchmarking of Strategies Vs Competition  ¦ Forecasting  ¦ Sales Force Effectiveness  ¦ Market Assessments  ¦ Competitive Intelligence  ¦ Opinion Leade rship  ¦ Emerging Markets evaluation and research TWB – Leading Technical Documentation Outsourcing Company Attractive Publications as Useful Marketing Tools Document Management Solutions  ¦ Record Management Storage and Retrieval  ¦ Records Management  ¦ Software Translation Services  ¦ Document Translation Services  ¦ Localization (L10N) Testing  ¦ Internationalization (I18N) Testing Translation and Localization Services In technical publications, audience is the focal point. Hence, the style, language, and content must vary depending on the type of audience being addressed. It is because every user has a specific role in the implementation and usage of the technology. Therefore, it is important that documents be created keeping in mind the role of the person who will use the document. For example, when you document a software application designed for highly technical users, it is sufficient to provide the users with quick reference information to use the application. For users who start without technical or product knowledge, it is important to provide detailed product information along with instructions on how to use the product. Deployment and Support The first marked increase in the ERP market was in 2004. The 14% increase made ERP a USD 23. 6 billion business. â€Å"The Indian ERP market experienced CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 25. 2 during the period of 2004 – 2009. The market was $83 million in 2004 and is projected to be over $250 million in 2009, according to a research report. † Growth and Penetration of ERP in India Challenges and Solutions Qualitative Analytics for Decision Support This paper presents the value and need for qualitative Technical Publications in companies providing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions. Technical publications include a wide variety of material such as Process and Workflow Documentation, User Guides, Online Help, White Papers, Classroom Training Materials, Reference Guides, Administration Guides, Standard Operating Procedures, Installation Manuals, Web-based Training Materials, and Product Demos. ERP implementation in an organization results in extensive changes in staff and work practices. These changes necessitate documentation of the updated processes and workflows, along with the creation of user manuals for the software and its modules, training material for employees, and product-specific configuration documents. Industry analysts predict that every major manufacturing company will purchase and implement the software, with leaders redirecting 50% to 75% of their RD budgets to e-commerce. Further, the rapid growth and evolution of ERP has led to the development of ERP II, which is intended to help businesses gain a competitive edge. However, despite the rapidly increasing popularity of ERP solutions, the complexity of the implementation of the software makes quality documentation important to both the vendors of ERP solutions and those organizations that purchase them. The documentation needs to be simple and comprehensible to end users, which necessitates the involvement of Technical Documentation Specialists in the creation of these documents. In this paper we will discuss the importance of technical publications to ERP, to facilitate the growth, implementation and evolution of ERP solutions. â€Å"TWB believes that the technology cannot exist without being communicated effectively. †  ¦ Workflows  ¦ Standard Operating Procedures  ¦ ISO Documentation  ¦ CMM Documentation  ¦ Installation and Configuration Guides  ¦ Operations Manual  ¦ Process Documentation  ¦ Web 2. 0 development  ¦ Web content  ¦ Web applications Web site Development  ¦ Graphic Designing  ¦ Info graphics  ¦ 2D 3D animation  ¦ Line drawings and illustrations Illustrations  ¦ Single Sourcing  ¦ File Version Control  ¦ Document Naming Conventions  ¦ Consistent Document Formatting  ¦ Data Transformation Content Management TWB is India’s leader in technical communication outsourcing and education. TWB offers a complete suite of services that allows our customers to effectively publish their technical knowledge with their people and processes. TWB’s customers range from Global 500 – including Cisco, Accenture, McAfee, LG, Samsung, Citrix, SAP, Siemens, AOL, Intel; Indian technology majors – including Infosys, Wipro; Global defense majors Pratt Whitney, Honeywell, DRDO, HAL; and exciting technology startups. TWBs expertise in technical communication ranges from IT Products and Outsourcing, ITES, Banking, Financial, Aerospace, Defense, Ship Building to Hi-tech Manufacturing, and Discrete and Process Manufacturing. TWB’s services include:  ¦ The Importance of ERP: An ERP system provides support by combining different internal and external organizational functions. These systems are often customized to meet the specific needs of specific organizations. Documentation in an ERP project serves two functions: first, to specify the changes that have been made to the standard ERP package; and second, to help the users operate the system. Good documentation is clear, easy to read and simple to understand. It helps users operate and maintain systems with ease. Good documentation allows the ERP system itself to be used effectively to enhance the business and its processes.  ¦ Value of Technical Publications: Technical Publications are very essential for transferring product knowledge to end users. Provisioning of proper material to use the technology and products enables the user to accept and efficiently use the product. Faulty assumptions about documentation lead to inaccurate and hard-to-understand material. This also decreases the chances of marketing the products in the global market.  ¦ Role of Documentation Outsourcing: The complexity involved in implementing an ERP system requires that vendors and purchasers consider outsourcing their documentation needs to well-established Technical Publications Solutions providers. This helps the company cut costs and at the same time deliver their products with quality documents. Growth and Penetration of ERP Globally The faulty assumptions listed below result in incomprehensible document:  ¦ Developers know their products better than anyone else – due to time constraints and limited resources, many companies assign their documentation tasks to the programmers. This more often results in the creation of technology-centered information, while end users require task-oriented information. [pic]  ¦ Documentation of complex applications requires a longer learning curve for the writer learning the product will not be a major obstacle for writers with the right technical background. Communication for Different Levels of Technical and Product Knowledge Benefits Business Documentation The purpose of technical communication is to transfer product knowledge to end users in a comprehensible manner. The strategies of communication and levels of information vary depending on the type of product and audience. Providing end users with information about a product’s operation and maintenance is critical to the market performance of the product. Hence, the need for quality documentation is imperative. In today’s business scenario, technical publications are often developed as an afterthought. This usually results in inaccurate and incomprehensible documentation, which, in turn, renders the users incapable of using the products. Accurate, readily understandable, and quality documents determine how a product sells in the market and result in increased customer satisfaction. Technical Communication for Transferring Product Knowledge Faulty Assumptions that Result in Problems in Documentation The total revenue increased to over USD 28 billion by the end of 2006. It is of note that ERP license revenue increased by 18% in 2006, according to AMR Research Inc. ’s ERP Market Sizing Report 2006-2011. Overall, this is the healthiest the ERP and enterprise applications market has been since the 1990s. † Jim Shepherd, Vice President, AMR. The ERP license revenue increased markedly in 2007, growing to 19%. The sale of ERP packages remained stable to small, medium, and large businesses alike. â€Å"Knowledge is people, money, learning, flexibility and competitive advantage . Knowledge is more relevant to sustained business than capital or labor. And yet knowledge remains the most neglected asset of a business. TWB helps you unlock and share your technical knowledge with the world. † Short Reports  ¦ Proposals  ¦ Case Studies  ¦ Lab Reports  ¦ Memos  ¦ Progress/Interim Reports  ¦ Writing for Electronic Media Business Communication  ¦ Copy Editing and Proof Reading  ¦ Managing Writing  ¦ Editing Services  ¦ Layout and Design  ¦ Creating SLAs Documentation Quality Management  ¦ Datasheets  ¦ Administrator’s Guide  ¦ API Document  ¦ Configuration Guide  ¦ Functional Specifications Document  ¦ Installation Manual  ¦ Interface Document  ¦ Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM)  ¦ Maintenance Manual  ¦ Online Help  ¦ Operation Manual  ¦ Product Demo  ¦ Product Specifications Document Product Overview Document  ¦ Quick Reference Guide  ¦ Release Notes  ¦ Requirement Analysis Document à ‚ ¦ SDK Document  ¦ Troubleshooting Manual  ¦ User Manual  ¦ Open Source Documentation  ¦ Programmers Guides  ¦ Functional Specifications Document  ¦ Use Cases  ¦ Online Help /Context Sensitive Help  ¦ Troubleshooting Guides  ¦ Technical Product Documentation Technical Marketing Solutions  ¦ Datasheets  ¦ Cheat sheets  ¦ Solution Briefs/Solution Brochures  ¦ Presentations – Products/Corporate Profile  ¦ Brochures and marketing collateral  ¦ Web content  ¦ Audio and video scripts  ¦ Press releases Direct mail  ¦ Newsletter design copy  ¦ Sales catalogues  ¦ Sales sheets Our technical proficiency in software and authoring tools includes:  ¦ SCORM 1. 2 / 2004  ¦ AICC  ¦ W3C  ¦ Section 508  ¦ QTI XML Standards  ¦ Microsoft Visio  ¦ iGrafx  ¦ EDraw  ¦ RFFlow  ¦ Flowbreeze  ¦ Smart Draw Flowcharting  ¦ Sharepoint ®  ¦ Moodle  ¦ Joomla,  ¦ WordPress  ¦ Media Wiki  ¦ CMS Builder  ¦ Author-it (formerly Autho rIT)  ¦ Alfresco  ¦ XMetal ®  ¦ Microsoft Word 2003 ®,  ¦ Microsoft Word 2007 ® CMS/ LMS XML  ¦ Microsoft Access  ¦ Microsoft SQL Server Databases  ¦ JavaHelp  ¦ Adobe RoboHelp 7. 0  ¦ HelpScribble WebWorks Publisher  ¦ PowerCHM  ¦ Doc-To-Help  ¦ WinCHM  ¦ HelpSmith 2. 1. 1(Windows)  ¦ Fast-Help  ¦ MadCap Flare  ¦ Help-Server  ¦ NVU Help Online Help  ¦ Adobe Flash ®  ¦ Adobe Flex ®  ¦ Adobe AIR ®  ¦ Adobe Dreamweaver ®  ¦ Adobe Acrobat ®  ¦ Microsoft Silverlight ®  ¦ Adobe Authorware ®  ¦ Adobe Director ®  ¦ Adobe Captivate ®  ¦ Trivantis Lectora ®  ¦ ASP. NET  ¦ JSP  ¦ JAVA Multimedia/Authoring/ Supporting tools Graphics/Animation  ¦ Adobe Flash ®  ¦ Adobe Photoshop ®  ¦ Adobe Illustrator ®  ¦ Adobe Fireworks ®  ¦ Microsoft Silverlight ®  ¦ Adobe Flash ®  ¦ Adobe Dreamweaver ®  ¦ Microsoft FrontPage ® Adobe Captivate ® Multimedia/Authoring  ¦ Adobe Flash ®  ¦ Adobe Photoshop ®  ¦ Adobe Fireworks ® Macromedia Captivate Graphics/Animations  ¦ Adobe Flash CS4 Professional  ¦ Adobe Illustrator CS3  ¦ CorelDRAW  ¦ Microsoft-Expression Graphic Designer  ¦ Xara Xtreme (Windows Linux)  ¦ CuteDraw  ¦ Publisher3D(for animation)  ¦ Sketsa SVG Editor (for vector graphics)  ¦ Techsmith Camtasia  ¦ Arbortext IsoDraw (technical illustrations for 2D and 3D) Illustrations  ¦ XSLT/XSL  ¦ EDD Development and Publishing tools  ¦ Epic  ¦ FrameMaker+SGML  ¦ X-Metal ® XML Structured Editors  ¦ Microsoft Word ® Adobe FrameMaker ®  ¦ Adobe InDesign ®  ¦ QuarkXPress ®  ¦ Adobe PageMaker ®  ¦ Unstructured Content Development TWB services a wide range of technology and knowledge-driven industries, helping them meet their markets better. These include:  ¦ Banking, Insurance and Financial Services  ¦ Consulting and Business Services  ¦ Defense, Aerospace and Hi-Tech Manufacturing  ¦ Education and Le arning  ¦ IT, ITES  ¦ ITES/ KPO/ BPO  ¦ Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology  ¦ Process Manufacturing and Allied Industries  ¦ Steel, Ship Building, Construction and Aviation  ¦ Telecom and Digital Communications Some of the greatest documentation challenges that most companies face today include:  ¦ Timely availability of quality documents during product release  ¦ Cost cutting in a multi-vendor business environment  ¦ Managing large volumes of documentation for new products releases For a leading vendor of ERP systems, association with TWB has benefited them immensely in saving costs and producing professional documentation along with services such as:  ¦ Transferring complex technical data into easily understandable language  ¦ Protecting technical and commercial data of newly developed products  ¦ Managing knowledge management and content management olutions, single sourcing, and data migration. TWB has been the preferred technical documentation outsourcing company for: The TWB Building No: 4062, 19th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Bangalore – 560008 India. Landmark: Behind Carlton Towers Telephone: +91. 80. 40741400 / +91. 80. 41256367 Corporate Enquiries: [emailprotected] in [pic] US Office: TWB 11701 Norwegian Wood Drive Austin, TX 78758 Telephone: +1. 512. 586. 8357 The Writers Blockwww. twb. in1 The Writers Blockwww. twb. in1 TWB Position Paper on Value of Technical Publication in Indian Aerospace and Defense Industry2