Insider Newsletter from Information Mapping

Mapping Q&A

Information Mapping, Inc.
307 Waverley Oaks Road
Waltham, MA 02452 U.S.A.

T: 781.547.3100
or 800.INFOMAP
F: 781.547.3200
E: inquiry@infomap.com
W: www.infomap.com

June 2006	www.infomap.com	Vol. 14, No. 2

Mapping Q&A

by Stu Rubinow, Information Mapping Instructor

Q: Would you ever use the Procedure and Process information type in the same Map?

A: Yes, you certainly might put both types in the same Map. But because they convey very different kinds of information to the reader, you must be careful how you present each information type. Read on.

Review

Mapping clearly distinguishes Process and Procedure information, because they respond to very different reader needs and have different purposes for you as a writer. Let’s quickly review those differences.

Process information tells readers what happens, or how something works, or who does what to produce a particular result or outcome. Procedure information tells the reader how to do something, or how to make a decision so she/he can then do something.

From these distinctions you realize that Process information is descriptive, and its goal is to increase reader understanding or comprehension. Procedure information, by contrast, is instructional, and its goal is to improve reader performance.

Using Process and Procedure Together

There will probably be times when your concern as a writer is not to build your readers’ understanding or performance separate from each other, but to do both together. You want them to understand things more clearly and then be able to use that understanding to act more accurately or effectively.

In these situations you may want to use Process information (a high level, broad-brush explanation of how we get from point A to point F) to introduce or create a context for Procedure information (a detailed step-by-step presentation of how the reader is to perform her/his piece of the process).

Typical Situation

You are writing a training guide for newly-hired clerks in your company’s accounting department. One of their responsibilities will be dealing with employee expense reimbursement requests. You want them to know how to do the job accurately and completely, but you also want them to feel like a significant part of the department’s functions rather than performing their tasks mindlessly or in isolation.

Sample Map

The Map below is an example of combining Process and Procedure information in the same Map, to give readers instructions but also show them where their actions fit into a bigger picture. Since the readers are accounting clerks, the procedure gives them specific instructions for what happens in the third process stage.

Important: For clarity, if you are presenting the two information types in the same Map, always put them in separate Blocks with clear labels and stem sentences to differentiate their purpose.

Horrible Example

Here is an example to show the possible difficulties when process and procedure information are presented together in the same Block.

Step	Action
1	Empty drawers and file cabinets, and pack the contents into cartons.
2	Seal all cartons with tape.
3	Discard rubbish in the bins provided.
4	The movers color-code each person’s cartons.
5	Information Services packs PCs and associated cables.
6	Items that are sent to storage include your old telephone, marketing brochures, and excess stationery.

The confusion for the reader is in Step 6. 'Am I responsible for doing this, as Steps 1 - 3 and the headers suggest, or does someone else do it, as in Step 4 and Step 5?'

Because Process and Procedure have been confounded with each other in the same Block, there is no way to know.

Summary

You may at times want to present Process and Procedure information in the same Map, if your goal is to help your reader both understand and perform better. Putting the two information types in separate Blocks underscores their different purposes and avoids reader confusion.

Additional Help

If you need additional help or guidance on using Process and Procedure in the same Map, send a question to support@infomap.com.

This message is privileged, confidential, and intended for the addressee only. If you have received this communication in error and are not the intended recipient, immediately notify the sender and delete this message from your computer. Your dissemination, modification, printing or copying of this message is prohibited. The contents of this message may contain personal views, which are not the views of Information Mapping, Inc. unless specifically stated. In compliance with Public Law No. 108-187 effective January 1, 2004.