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Updated 28 OCT 2001
This site is dedicated to Muthukumar U
An intellectual, treasured friend to both of us and an inspiration

This page contains resources, links and recommended books for technical communications, including technical writing, illustration and business graphics.

Related sites that we maintain are:

Also please feel free to check other technical pages we have on the web.

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Tools for IT Professionals and Consultants

This site is devoted to technical communications with an emphasis on eliciting and capturing requirements, knowledge management and transfer, and information as a value chain. This page's layout is consistent with Information Mapping® techniques and is structured as follows:
  1. Context - How we view technical communications within the context of our professional backgrounds, training and the work we do
  2. Papers - Documents and other artifacts that we think you will find helpful
  3. Links - Sites that you may find useful (see also: our related pages that are provided on the left, as well as other sites in the TEAM Zarate Tarrani domain.
  4. Books - Sources of related information that we have reviewed on Amazon classified as follows:
  • Requirements
  • Tools and Techniques
  • Policies and Procedures Development
  • Knowledge and Content Management
  • Intellectual Property Assets
  • Domain-Specific: Business Processes and Process Improvement
  • Domain-Specific: IT Technologies, Architectures and Methods
  • Domain-Specific: Project and Risk Management
  • Domain-Specific: Numerical and Computations

Site Context
The content provided on this site reflects our view of technical communications as consultants who have a significant amount of domain-specific knowledge. Writing and communicating is essential, and although we are subject matter experts in applications and service delivery, business process improvement and policy and procedures development, a large amount of our tasks and deliverables are focused on requirements capture, analysis, knowledge management and transfer, and presentation.

Our primary communications technique is Information Mapping®, which we augment with graphics, numerical analysis and content management. We are also concerned with information architecture, which is a key to designing online content in a coherent manner. Therefore, the documents, links and book recommendations that we have placed on this site are focused towards these areas and domains. We have endeavored to make available tools, techniques, information and ideas that consultants will find valuable. We have also selected some content that serves as examples of finished work product and deliverables.

A word about books that we have reviewed: many of the books are about techniques; however, we have also included book recommendations that either give foundational material for research in particular technical domains or are examples of excellent design and layout from a technical communications perspective. One or both of us have reviewed each of the books on Amazon, and the links provided will take you to those reviews. From there you can determine whether or not the book is suitable to your purposes or is consistent with your interests and job.

Technical Communication Resource Papers

Technical Communication Resource Links

Techniques and Tools

 Techniques and Tools (continued) Information Architecture and Knowledge Management Copyright and Legal

Books We've Reviewed

Technical Communication Resource Books
 Requirements
  1. Case Method: Business Interviewing
  2. Exploring Requirements
  3. Writing Effective Use Cases
  4. Effective Requirements Practices
  5. Problem Frames
  6. Advancing Business Comcepts in a JAD Workshop
  7. Requirements Engineering
  8. Step-By-Step QFD
Tools and Techniques
  1. Web Redesign: Workflow that Works
  2. 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques
  3. Web Business Engineering
  4. Thinker's Toolkit
  5. Rapid Problem Solving with Post-it® Notes
  6. Competing With Information: Manager's Guide to Creating Business Value with Information Content
  7. Visual Language: Global Communication for the 21st Century
  8. Thinking Visually
  9. Preparing and Delivering Effective Technical Presentations
  10. Visualizing Your Business
  11. Infographics: A Journalist's Guide
  12. Information Graphics: A Comprehensive Approach
  13. Financial and Process Metrics for the New Economy
  14. Workflow Modeling
  15. Standards for Online Communication
  16. Creative HTML Design
  17. Dictionary of E-Business
  18. Teach Yourself HTML Visually
  19. Web Site Engineering
  20. Systems Engineering: Coping with Complexity
  21. Open Toolbox of Techniques
  22. Information Consultant's Handbook: Systems Analysis and Design
  23. Systems Thinking
  24. Web Page Design Cookbook
  25. Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Businesses
Policies and Procedures Development
  1. Achieving 100% Compliance of Policies and Procedures
  2. 7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures
  3. E-Policy Handbook
Knowledge and Content Management
  1. Web Content Management
  2. Knowledge Management Toolkit
  3. In Only We Knew What We Know: The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice
  4. Corporate Portals
Intellectual Property Assets
  1. CyberRegs
  2. E-Business Privacy and Trust: Planning and Management Strategies
  3. e-Patent Strategies for Software, e-Commerce, the Internet, Telecom Services, Financial Services, and Business Methods
 DOMAIN-SPECIFIC
Business Processes and Process Improvement
  1. Business Process Improvement Toolbox
  2. Understanding and Applying Value-Added Assessment: Eliminating Business Process Waste
  3. Process Reengineering: The Key to Achieving Breakthrough Success
  4. Design and Management of Service Processes
  5. Business Process Management: Profiting From Process
  6. Area Activity Analysis
  7. Effective Competency Modeling and Reporting
  8. Key Performance Indicators Manual: A Practical Guide for the Best Practice Development, Implementation and Use of KPIs
  9. Designing Work Groups, Jobs, and Work Flow
  10. Mapping Work Processes
  11. Process Redesign: The Implementation Guide for Managers
  12. The Root Cause Analysis Handbook-A Simplified Approach to Identifying, Correcting, and Reporting Workplace Errors
  13. Continuous Improvement Tools: A Practical Guide to Achieve Quality Results
  14. Resource Life Cycle Analysis
  15. Winning Score: How to Design and Implement Organizational Scorecards
  16. Measuring Performance
IT Technologies, Architectures and Methods
  1. Integration Models
  2. Realizing eBusiness with Components
  3. Deveoping E-Business Systems and Architectures
  4. E-Business and IS Solutions
  5. IT Architectures and Middleware
  6. Process Patterns
  7. More Process Patterns
  8. Successful Software Development
  9. Object-Oriented Thought Process
  10. CMM Implementation Guide: Choreographing Software Process Improvement (has a rich set of templates)
  11. Effective Measurement and Management of IT Costs and Benefits (many checklists and other useful material)
  12. Comparing ISO 9000 Malcolm Baldrige and the SEI CMM for Software
Project and Risk Management
  1. Visualing Project Management
  2. Web Project Management
  3. Project and Program Risk Management
  4. Tools & Tips for Today's Project Manager
  5. Analysis Bar Charting
Numerical and Computations
  1. Cryptography Decrypted
  2. SPC Simplified
  3. Statistical Quality Control Using Excel

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