Home End User Manuals. End User Manuals Tracker Software Products. Welcome to the PDF-XChange End User Products online help system. Browse through the help pages by clicking on the icons below or selecting pages in the table of contents to the left. To quickly find specific product information, enter search criteria in the. The most important thing is to make sure the documentation you create works for your users. Here are some tricks for making that happen. Good User Documentation is Highly Visual. When it comes to helping users understand how to use software, text is helpful. You can use it to add narrative to what the user sees on their screen.
It is the same for every other modules although here I reference it mainly for SAP HR.1) You should understand which targeted group for the end-user training is for. Do they have any computer background or not.
2) In what way they are going to make use of the manuals supplied to them during the course of training.
Let us focus on how to prepare SAP user manuals:
In the client side, End Users are not permanent. If they get any better job outside they will resign and go out. Even if you train them well, again the end-user team disappears after some time. That is why implementing company( Client ) expects SAP Consultants to prepare documents which are self explanatory (even to a layman in SAP) and study themselves and use the sap easy access very comfortably.
Hence we should prepare a document which explains the following things comfortably:
A) All the buttons and Screens we have in SAP and its importance for an end-user.
B) All the transaction codes used by end user.
C) The STEP by STEP usage methodology with screen shots and explanatory foot notes for each Transaction code.
D) Prepare a book a table and columns which should have the following information:
- S.NO.
- Transaction Codes
- Navigation path
- Use of the Code
- Expected Result
- Achieved Result
- Remarks/Any Comment
- S.NO.
- Transaction Codes
- Navigation path
- Use of the Code
- Expected Result
- Achieved Result
- Remarks/Any Comment
E) Highlight the common troubles during the usage of SAP by an end-user and give the solutions (ready to use).
These problems you can come across while giving the in house training for the end-users. You just place them at one place and publish it for their usage in future for any of their new joinees as an end-user.
These problems you can come across while giving the in house training for the end-users. You just place them at one place and publish it for their usage in future for any of their new joinees as an end-user.
F) Every consultant is aware that the entire Organsiational Management is with end user only. Means consultant should train the end user in entire OM.
G) We should inform the importance of info types and usage for our purposes at expert mode, PA30, PA40 etc.,
H) Each field in the international infotypes should be explained very clearly and ensure that they are comfortable with the fields of infotypes which have been configured for their company.
For example : info type 0001 Org Assignment insists about the three structures of the HR. We should explain each sub field like Emp Group, Emp Sub Group, Personnel Area and Sub Area and its importance and relevance to their company so as to understand while processing them from the end-user point of view .
When an employee is hired into the company, now the end-user in a position to understand which employee group and subgroup, Personnel Area And Sub Area etc., should allotted..
Like this whatever comes across in SAP Easy Access should be insisted through the training of end users.
I) Demo, exercises and solutions should be provided in the manuals.
J) Glossary of terms and expansion of Acronyms, Abbreviations should be given. Like this each consultant should focus on end user training and prepare the documents.
Think about the last time that you consulted a manual. Did you start at the beginning and read the whole manual? Probably not. You probably looked first at the index or the table of contents. Once you found the right page or topic, you probably scanned the page first to see if it contained the information you needed. This is how most people read manuals.
No one wants to read your user manual. No one will read your user manual from front to back savoring every word and phrase. Technical documents are not novels. Readers want user manuals to answer their questions quickly so that they can get back to whatever they were doing.
A successful user manual provides users with quick answers to the questions that they might have about a particular product. Users searching for information don’t want to know about the latest and greatest features of a product. Users want to know how to complete tasks. Technical writing focuses on user tasks and the concepts that support the tasks.
Below are some practical tips on writing user manuals that will help you to write content that adapts to the needs of users.
Think like a user
When writing a manual, you need to put on a “user’s hat” and think like a user. You should have a good understanding of your users so you can understand the information they need to know, their background, and their knowledge of the product. Once you think like a user, you can write content that the users need to know.
If you have the opportunity, you will find it very useful to watch users actually using the product. When you watch users interacting with the product, you will get a better idea of what the users need to do, how they approach each task, and when they might use approaches to tasks that are unexpected.
Use active voice
Active voice emphasizes the user and is easier to read and understand. In most cases, especially in user manuals, you should use active voice. In active voice, the subject and verb in the sentence are clear. In passive voice, the subject is unknown and is acted upon by something that is not known or not stated. Passive voice uses verbs that include a form of “to be”.
Compare the two sentences below.
Passive voice: Supplies that will be needed to complete this project include a hammer, a screwdriver, and a rubber mallet.
Active voice: To complete this project, you will need a hammer, a screwdriver, and a rubber mallet.
The sentence that uses active voice makes it clear that the reader is the person who will complete the action. By using the active voice, you will make your writing more clear, concise, and direct.
Focus on the reader
User manuals should always focus on the reader. When writing information that involves the reader, such as instructions, use “you” and the active voice. Speaking directly to the reader will:
- Reinforce the message that the information is intended for the reader
- Pull readers into the document and make it relevant to them
- Help to avoid passive voice by focusing on the reader
Compare the two sentences below.
How To Create User Account
Lack of reader focus: There are three options for viewing content in the editor.
Reader focus: You can choose from one of three options for viewing content in the editor.
The sentence that uses “you” focuses on the reader and makes it clear that the reader is the person doing the action. You should aim to use “you” in your writing to make the content more relevant to the reader.
Write clear instructions
The primary objective of user manuals is to help users complete tasks. Below are some guidelines to help you write clear and concise instructions.
- Use numbered lists for instructions unless the instruction includes a single step.
- Use parallel construction for each step. Usually, you should start each step with an imperative word, such as “Enter”, “Click”, “Select”, etc. When you start each step with an imperative word, you are providing the user with clear cues on the required action for each step.
- Avoid using a system response as a step. For example, don’t say, “The Info dialog window opens” as a step. You can incorporate system responses (when necessary) in the step that initiated the system response or you can mention the system response at the beginning of the following step, e.g. “In the Info dialog window, …”.
- Provide just enough information so that the user can complete a task or understand a concept. Omit any extraneous information that the user does not need to know. Concise content makes it easier to understand concepts and tasks.
Establish standards
Create User Manual Online
When creating documentation, there will be areas where there may be more than one way to spell a word, refer to an object, caption graphics, punctuate sentences, lay out a page, and organize information. These are just a few of the decisions that writers must make when they create documents. By establishing standards, the writer’s job becomes much easier since most of those decisions will have been already made.
The Chicago Manual of Style and Microsoft Manual of Style are two popular style guides. If you use an established style guide, you may still need to establish some specific guidelines for your writing project. As you encounter any issues with styles, you can create your own additional style rules that address the specific needs of your project.
How To Create An End User Manual 2017
If you would like to become a technical writer, you may want to consider registering for our Professional Technical Writing Course. It is an online course where you will learn how to write and revise instructions, technical reports, and software manuals (key technical writing documents).