Buying process

We offer both fixed fee work and day rate work. The processes shown here apply to fixed fee work, although we recommend that you conform to the processes for day rate work also.

Initial estimate

The process that we use to estimate a project fee has these steps:

1. If you have not already done so, read the following documents:
   • Documentation project metrics tells you about the duration of typical projects
   • Getting information tells you about your team's commitment to the project
   • Terms and conditions for software documentation.
2. If you have not already done so, contact Mike Unwalla, principal of TechScribe, for an informal discussion.
3. We work in strict commercial confidence. However, if you want to use a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), either use your NDA, or use our NDA.
4. Download the following two checklists. Complete the checklists, and return them to TechScribe by e-mail.
   • Business requirements checklist. We need to know the business problems that lack of documentation is causing you. You need to make sure that you have a business case for producing documentation.
   • Documentation requirements checklist. This checklist deals with technical requirements.
5. Optionally, we meet you and your team and discuss the possible solutions to your problem. (If you decide to use our services, we do not charge you for the meeting. If you do not to use our services, we charge you for the meeting.)
6. Based on the answers you supply, and assuming that your problem is something we can overcome, we do the following things:
   • Give you an estimate (an expected lower and upper value) to produce the type of documentation you requested. (Typically, project fees range between approximately £4,500 and £18,000 plus VAT.)
   • Discuss possible alternative solutions.
7. You commission us to produce a documentation plan.

Documentation plan (project plan)

Typically, a documentation plan takes between three days and ten days (project days, not calendar days) to produce. We produce this for a fixed fee.

1. You supply:
   • A purchase order for the documentation plan
   • A copy of your software (or give us access to a web-based system or through a VPN)
   • Source materials such as existing documentation, specifications, and marketing brochures.
2. We use your software to get a general understanding of how it works and of the tasks that users do. (Typically, you give a demonstration.)
3. We design the structure of the documentation set: what to include, what to exclude, what goes on paper, and what goes into online documentation. For each deliverable, we specify the structure and the high-level tasks.
4. We give a fixed-fee quote (or a set of options) to produce the specified documentation.

© TechScribe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Page updated 2009-07-06