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{Home > About > Centers & Programs > IAP : Faculty-Workplace Research}

Faculty-Workplace Research

Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch
Breuch, Lee-Ann Kastman.  "A Work in Process:  A Study of Single-Source Documentation and Document Review Processes of Cardiac Devices."  Technical Communication 55.4 (2008):  343-356.

Abstract
This article shares results of a case study of document review processes of a technical writing team at a biomedical company. Twelve technical writers were observed, interviewed, and surveyed as they changed work practices from updating legacy documentation to generating single-source content modules about cardiac rhythm disease management devices. Results from the case study demonstrate both the pain and joy of changing to a single-source system. Every technical writer who participated in the study agreed that the manuals and documentation that emerged from the single-source process were better, more thorough, and more accessible to clinicians and patients. However, technical writers also expressed anxiety over the difficulty of the review process, specifically balancing requests and schedules from multiple reviewers on the documents they were writing. In addition, several writers commented that the single-source approach changed their roles from individual authors to collaborative writers and project managers.