User Manual: Assignment

For your last major project in the course, you will create a short user manual someone could follow to complete the kind of writing (or a task related to that kind of writing) that you have examined in your Recommendation Report and Research Poster.

The user manual will be added to a Continuity Folder (explained in the scenario below), which you will leave behind for the next intern to work for the organization. Your document will include two parts:

• An introductory technical description of the process.
• Instructions the reader can follow to complete the activity.

To understand more about the connections among the Major Projects, read How the Major Projects Connect.

User Manual Writing Scenario

If you are lucky, when you begin a new job, you will find a continuity folder^* on the desk or on the computer to help you complete your work. The exact name of this folder will depend on your workplace. It can be called a continuity folder, binder, portfolio, or book; standard (or standing) operating procedures; or a transition book.

Inside this folder, you will find documents and information that will help you complete your work. The contents can include:

• mission statements and goals
• position responsibilities
• system and social media login information
• advice and tips
• schedules, timelines, and calendars
• instructions, protocols, and procedures
• templates and examples
• checklists
• budget and funding information
• inspection reports
• organization charts and info on personnel

You will use this folder to guide your daily work, and one of your on-going tasks will probably be to keep the contents of the folder current. In the event that you are not available, the person filling in for you will use the folder to determine what to do and how to do it. When you move to another position, the next person in the position will use the information that you leave in the folder.

For your last major project in the course, you will create a short user manual to add to a Continuity Folder, which you will leave behind for the next intern to work for the organization.

Project Requirements

Your Final, Finished Draft must meet these requirements in order to earn a B or better in this course:

• Focuses on a task related to the kind of writing examined in your Recommendation Report and Research Poster assignments.
• Meets the expectations of the Writing Scenario, explained in the section above.
• Is a document that is a minimum of four pages long (including images and illustrations) that was created in a word processor.
• Combines technical description and instruction into a single document—a user manual.
• Demonstrates a clear relationship between the graphics and the accompanying text (p. 561).
• Has a clear title that is specific to the instructions (p. 566).
• Opens with an introduction that (p. 556):
  • states the purpose of the task.
  • describes the safety measures or other concerns that readers should understand.
  • lists the necessary tools and materials.
• Includes step-by-step instructions that are
  • numbered (p. 567).
  • expressed in the imperative mood (p. 567).
  • simple and direct (p. 567).
  • accompanied by appropriate graphics (p. 568).
• Ends with a conclusion that includes (p. 568)
  • any necessary follow-up advice.
  • if appropriate, a troubleshooting guide.
• Uses professional design and formatting that does the following:
  • Makes a good first impression as a polished, professional document.
  • Uses appropriately-sized headings and text.
  • Makes information easy for readers to find and read.
  • Emphasizes important information.
• Uses accurate/appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and formatting.

Activities Making Up This Major Writing Project

The following activities will all contribute to your Proposal Memo. You can complete all of them, or you can pick and choose. Remember that the Final, Finished Draft is required in order to earn a B or better in this course.

Week of April 22

• Choose a Topic and Generate Ideas (100 points)
• Complete an Audience Profile Sheet (100 points)
• Create a Rough Draft (300 points)

Week of April 29

• Check for Professional Design (25 points)
• Check Your Use of Visuals (25 points)
• Check for Content Completion (25 points)
• Editing & Proofreading (25 points)
• Complete your Final, Finished Draft (500 points)

Links for each week will be available beginning on the Monday of the related week in the Module Overview.

Photo Credit: the unplanned desk coordination by emdot on Flickr Links to an external site., used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.

^*One point of clarification: Businesses, government agencies, and other organizations also create continuity plans, which typically account for how the organization will use to continue operations in a time of emergency. FEMA, for instance, offers advice for how to write this kind of continuity plan. For this activity, you are working on a position-focused continuity folder, not a business or agency plan.