SAP Documentation and Training Development Guide [Paperback]

Kathryn E. Park (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

A straightforward approach to planning and developing documentation and training for your SAP project.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Stop Guessing About How To Develop and Conduct SAP Training! Finally, a practical, step-by-step guide to developing cost effective SAP documentation and training! In this guide, you will find hints and tips learned from years of hands-on experience, including: - SAP module descriptions and sample project plan - Essential documents that every project needs to run smoothly - Project planning documents that chart your course of work - Putting together a professional documentation and training team - How to choose an on-line authoring tool that works for you - Hiring guidelines and useful interview questions - Detailed style and formatting guidelines - The best way to produce business task documents - Effective review and tracking procedures - A simple 7-step training development process - Choosing and preparing instructors

About the Author

Kathryn Park is Managing Partner of Bobkat Enterprises, LLC, an independent consulting firm based in Texas. She has provided recommendations for implementing, streamlining, and improving documentation and training operations to Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and government organizations. At Bobkat, she and her partner specialize in business process analysis, methodology development, and training program planning and design using industry best practices.

In conjunction with the SAP Documentation and Training Development Guide, Ms. Park and her partner produced the Resource Estimator Tool(c) for SAP R/3 projects, a simple software tool that allows you to quickly determine the number of writers and other resources you need to complete your SAP documentation and training project.

Kathryn Park is an award-winning technical writing and training expert who has worked on SAP projects since 1993. She holds an MBA, for which her thesis, Establishing Productivity Standards for Technical Communications Professionals, won the highest praise.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bobkat Press (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965662128
• ISBN-13: 978-0965662123
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,119,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Guide is as useful as it is rare., April 16, 1999

By 

David Firoozi, Training Manager (david@firooz... (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SAP Documentation and Training Development Guide (Paperback)

One of the more unusual aspects of this publication is that it is useful to both the writer/trainer as well as those who have to hire writing/training personnel. The author has a great deal of knowledge and all of it useful. But I would have set out the chapters differently. My greater criticism of this book is that one finds oneself a little lost in the woods.

In any SAP implementation or migration project, training and documentation are the last things senior management want to worry about. They often wish that documentation would just magically appear around about the time the system goes live. Likewise for staff training. As senior management themselves know, this is never the case.

Kathryn Park's philosophy is that there should be a "single source of information and guidance for producing documentation and training materials for your SAP project." (In the Overview before Chapter One). Anybody who has done any documentation or auditing work would find this music to his ears!

I agree with her statement on writers: "A professional writer is committed to his career. He is not an engineer or a programmer who 'has done some technical writing'. He is hard working, focussed, detail-oriented, intense, accepts criticism, and loves his job. Only hire professional writers" (P67).

There is a statement on the need for the technical skills required by any professional writer on page 67 that all project managers should read.

I also agree with the statement: "Start training early, the earlier the better." (P118).

In summary, I can do no better than repeat myself: This guide is as useful as it is rare; It took me six months to get hold of a copy!

David Firoozi, Training Manager, Sydney, Australia. [e-mail]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A decent beginning but needs more, November 29, 2004

By 

V. Hewett "elearning developer" (Daytona Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SAP Documentation and Training Development Guide (Paperback)

I have been developing training for SAP for nearly ten years and decided to write a book on the process. Before beginning, I wanted to know if there was already a book in the industry and this book is all I could find. Some things in it are useful and I saved about five pages that I refer to now and then. If lacks usable forms on a cd that would make it more helpful. It is not written for either a novice or an expert. I find it lacks specific detail and a easy to use format for novices. However, it does not offer enough depth for experts. So I thought it a good beginning and the only one in the marketplace. However, it could be much more valuable with some changes in format, adding forms and checklists on a cd, and choosing between going into greater depth or more detail for novices...pick one and expand this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing useful here, July 12, 2004

By 

Dirk Manuel "Technical Communicator" (Global) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: SAP Documentation and Training Development Guide (Paperback)

I'd been documenting SAP implementations for about 8 years when I picked up this book. I had hoped to learn something new, or get some new insights or angles on something I was in danger of becoming overfamiliar with. Unfortunately, this book didn't teach me anything. Much of it is very basic (and doesn't necessarily apply only to documentation for SAP), and there is certainly nothing that you couldn't work out for yourself.

The layout of the book is also disappointing. The author has used Information Mapping, which whilst useful in many settings, isn't really a good approach here. It just makes the book look amateur. Like something you'd expect the Intern to produce. The book also includes a number of 'fill in your own data' tables, which I've always found to be wothless in a bound book (I don't like to write in my own textbooks) - especially when they appear mid-text so even if you photocopy them you end up with odd fragments of the book as well. If you want to provide checklists, or ther forms for the user, include these at the back, and in a form that is easily photocopiable...).

Overall, extremely disappointing. I've now been documenting SAP projects for over 10 years, and I could probably write a better book on it myself. And maybe will...