Controlled English

English is the main language in technical documentation around the world.  However, English can be difficult to understand due to its many forms and complexity.   The result can be frustrating, time-consuming, costly and even dangerous.

How do we ensure that technical documentation is always clear and unambiguous? See examples of difficulties with standard English.  The approach used in the Aerospace and Defense industry is Simplified Technical English™ (STE).  More generally it can be called controlled English.  The key features are:

(1) Restricted number of words:   Although there are 700,000 actual English words, controlled English uses a generic list of about 900 words (in addition to industry, company, and product specific words).  Further, in controlled English, each word has but one meaning.   (2) There is a set of simplified grammar rules.  NOTE- some of these rules are similar to those of information mapping.

Currently, TPIC is looking into guidelines like STE for the semiconductor industry.  Further, some within the TPIC community believe that some kind of controlled English standard should be a SEMI standard.

One vendor that provides both a service and a software product to implement controlled English is Tedores.

Further Study:

1. Presentation to TPIC by Tedores (July 2006)
   

2. TPIC site (pages dealing with controlled English may vary over time)
   

3. Tedores site
   

4. The Aerospace STE site.
   

5. Purchase the Aerospace STE Spec.
   

It is Mr PBET’s view that truly excellent documentation in our industry needs the help of both Information Mapping and controlled English. Both are recommended during the PBET module, “Plan Job Aids.”

Information Mapping

Information Mapping is both the name of a documentation vendor, as well as a documentation methodology championed by the founder of that company, Robert Horn.  Horn was very interested in cognitive load theory (cognitive theory of learning). 

I like to think of Information Mapping as both a process and a format.  Just as the principles and steps of the PBET process influence the training result, the principles and steps of the Information Mapping process influence the documentation formatting result.  Just as people often make the mistake of thinking you can convert traditional training into PBET training by simply adding objectives or practice exercises, people often make the mistake of thinking they can get Information Mapping by reformatting their documents to meet a list of rules. In both cases, the process, or method, is essential.

Information Mapping, when done well, will save a company money by saving time and mistakes.

The Information Mapping web site provides a lot of information including examples and demos.

Further Study:

1. Information Mapping - the vendor - describes the method.  Try the “DEMO” there.
   

2. Cognitive load theory (quick explanation on Wikipedia)
   

3. Robert Horn - biographical sketch
   

4. Building Expertise, a book by Ruth Clark, whose training approach is based on cognitive load theory.