ABOUT WORKFLOW

Workflow

The workflow I use in the document development lifecycle is based on the book Technical Writing Process, by Kieran Morgan. He has broken down the writing process as follows:

1. Plan
2. Structure
3. Write
4. Review
5. Publish

I appreciate this because it clearly sets forth the stages any writer can follow. 

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Superior Office Staff

The company name, “Superior Office Staff,” is a bit of a play on words. “Superior” is used because Mr. Carmeli is an Expert Microsoft Office Specialist. “Office” not only refers to staff found in offices but also because, until Microsoft changed the name of its flagship office suite from Microsoft Office to Microsoft 365, he specialized in Microsoft Office. “Staff” refers to his goal, which is to transform his consultancy into a staffing agency.

The consultancy of Superior Office Staff was created on the premise that an underserved market exists for advanced document developers, workers qualified to produce medium scale documents. These workers can be found wherever proposals, requests for proposals, contracts, product descriptions, and similar documentation need to be created. Organizations in the aerospace, defense, public utilities, I.T., and medical device manufacturing, industries operating in the business-to-business space, are examples of industries that require this type of work. 

Document developers are not to be confused with technical communicators. These workers produce large scale documentation, often work in teams, and may be part of separate departments. They may use single-sourcing software such as Adobe FrameMaker or MadCap Flare. Single-sourcing software begins with an information base—text, graphics, tables, etc. After the information base is created, it can not only generate printed documents, but also PDFs, websites, and help systems, all from the same information base, with little or no additional manipulation. Technical communicators tend to work with programmers, software and hardware engineers, and other product development specialists. In addition to being good writers, technical communicators have skills such as audience analysis, interviewing, researching, editing, and proofreading. 

Mr. Carmeli has and uses some of these skills in his day-to-day activities, but he does not work with technical communication software.

ABOUT CERTIFICATION

Microsoft Certification

You are probably wondering what Microsoft Certification is, how one is certified, and what value it has for you.

• Microsoft developed its certification process as part of its training programs. But as the organization developed into a software manufacturing behemoth, with more and more complex software products, their customers found it difficult to distinguish the capabilities and skill levels of candidates, freelancers, and consultants. Some were trained by Microsoft, others were trained by third-party training providers, some were self-taught, and some were pretenders. Eventually, Microsoft realized it had to add credentialing and verification to its training enterprise. 
• This is how a candidate becomes certified. After he has both taken one or more courses, and become familiar with the technology, he takes an exam to test his understanding and skills with that Microsoft technology. Some certifications require candidates to pass a set of related exams in order to be awarded a particular certification. If a candidate passes an exam, or related set of exams, Microsoft will award him with the corresponding certificate. Microsoft offers over 250 certifications to its user-community, based on different levels of expertise with one or more of its technologies. 
• The purpose of verification is to assure Microsoft's customers that applicants, consultants, and freelancers have the skills with Microsoft technologies they claim to possess.
• In order for Mr. Carmeli to achieve Expert status with Microsoft 365, he passed the following exams: 

If you want to authenticate his claim to be Microsoft certified, ask for an access code to his dashboard. The dashboard shows an individual's test and certification history.