Developing Metrics to Request Resources

Archana Maheshwari Citrix Systems December 2011

Agenda
About Metrics Process of Defining Metrics Benchmark Data Project Summary Sample Project Plan and Calculator

About Metrics

Why Metrics?

To justify replacement requisitions after attrition

To justify additional headcount for special projects

To answer key questions from management

Where does your time go? Release x.x did not have very many key features? Why is the doc bug count still so high? Why are we not collaborating with Customer Support? Why are the DITA and other special projects delayed?

What Metrics Do We Need?

Productivity Metrics Quality Metrics

Reliable Repeatable Flexible Model

Out of Scope for this presentation

Activity 5 minutes

Drivers for Resource Planning

Attrition

Drivers for Resource Planning

Hours per page or pages per hour (current)
Increase in feature velocity

Increase in number of new projects

Resource Planning

Percent increase in engineering headcount

Number of documentation requirements from prospective customers

Negative feedback and increased support calls

Attrition

Activity 5 minutes

Factors Affecting Metrics

Factors Affecting Metrics

Teams
Writers - Knowledge and experience
Editors - Knowledge and experience SMEs - Knowledge and experience

Content
Complexity of content
Number & complexity of Illustrations Type of source available Number of pages modified

SMEs - Uncooperative and unavailable

Factors Affecting Metrics

Product
Product lifecycle
Number of UI elements

Other
Tools and applications
PTO, holidays, events, and breaks

Process of Defining Metrics

Process of Defining Metrics

Identify Common Units of Work Define Standard Deliverables

Define Complexity

Define Metrics

Define Standard Processes Categorize Features & Bugs

Define Hours per Page

Identify Common Units of Work

Features Special Projects
Multimedia Projects DITA

Bugs

Usability Collaboration with external teams

Release Notes

Identify Common Units of Work

Project-Related Tasks
Project planning and management Tools and templates Peer Reviews Release management activities Working with doc and external teams

Non Project-Related Activities

PTO Holidays Training Company Events

Define Standard Deliverables

PDFs / HTML Release Notes

Online Help

Multimedia

Define Standard Processes

Research and Impact Analysis

Information and Delivery Design

Drafts

Production and Delivery

Categorize Features and Bugs

Size of Features Small Medium Large Duration 1 2 days 3 5 days 6 10 days

Extra Large

11+ days

Define Complexity
Complex concepts. Interrelationships among topics make the content difficult to organize. No source available. SMEs very difficult and unresponsive. Need complete lab set up for testing.

High

Average

Revised page. Not as highly complex as described above. Very little source material available.

Low

Mostly basic procedures (GUI and CLI) with brief introductions. Information easily available.

Define Hours Per Page Writing Task

Complexity
High Average Low

Junior Worker
18 hours 9 hours 3 hours 10 hours (Average)

Senior Worker
14 hours 8 hours 2 hours 8 hours (Average)

Note One average page is equal to approx. 300 words.

Define Hours Per Online Help Topic Writing Task

Complexity High Average Low Junior Worker 6 hours 3 hours 1 hour Senior Worker 4 hours 2 hours 1 hour

New Now online help is single sourced

Define Hours Editing Task

Activity First edit Follow up edit discussions Final edit sign-off Metric 25% of the writing time 10% of the writing time 5% of the writing time

Benchmark Data
High-Tech Industries 7 to 8 hours a page
Source: Hackos (JoAnn T Hackos, 'Managing your documentation projects'. John Wiley & Sons, 1994.)

Printed Documentation

3 to 5 hours a page
Source: Fredrickson Communications (www.fredcomm.com/articles/detail/stop_guesstimating_start_estimating/)

Online Documentation

4 to 6 hours a topic
Source: Fredrickson Communications (www.fredcomm.com/articles/detail/stop_guesstimating_start_estimating/)

Writing and Editing Tasks

13 hours a page
Source: Jody Lorig's Estimating Worksheet (www.techwr-l.com/articles/estimatingworksheet)

Summary Release X and Y

Metric # of Writers # of Editors # of Pages (new and updated) # of Hours per Page (Writing Effort) Release X 5 1 756 Release Y 5 1 679 5.05 hours

6.58 hours

# of Hours (Writing and Editing) # of Hours per Page (Writing and Editing)

4985 hours 9.21 hours

4803 hours 7.07 hours

Activity Time Lets extrapolate some data

Data Analysis 20 minutes

1. 2. 3. Why did Kathy have so many features? How do you identify a low performer? Why are there so many bugs in one writers name?

4.
5. 6.

Why didn't one writer work on any special project?

Is there any writer who is close to his/her actual and ideal task distribution? Yes or No? Give reasons. This release had very few features. True or false, and why?

7.
8. 9.

Which writer had maximum features?

Creating Release Notes do not take up time. How much time did writers spend on the special projects?

10. Writers are not spending 100% of their time on feature documentation? Is this good or bad? Explain.

Switch to Excel Spreadsheet to View Actual Metrics

Switch to Excel Spreadsheet to View an Individual Plan

Chance to Win

Activity Time
1. Based on the given data, each team has to come up with new logical interpretation of the data.
2. To support your interpretation, look at the individual plan and let us know what additional metrics you need to collect. 3. Bonus Question: Who is an outlier out of the five writers and why? 4. Each team will get 10 minutes to present their findings. 5. Each participant will vote for the best team. 6. One team will be announced as the winner.

Presentations by the Teams 10 minutes each

Questions

Citrix Confidential