Purpose of a Instruction Manual

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Worksheet:
Preparing Reports, Instruction Manuals, and Brochures

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Type of Publication	Instruction Manual	Brochure	Report
Purpose	Using only the instructions, users should be able to perform the main tasks without consulting to go to an outside party to get answers to questions.	Move prospects along in the sales cycle. The sales cycle has four phases: get attention, develop interest, make a decision, and act on that decision (purchase).	Provide a detailed investigation of a topic to a decision maker and the people who influence that person.
A general list of tasks to address (you will need to make these more specific)	Explain why this issue is important Name the key tasks in addressing this issue How to perform each of the main tasks (several objectives) How to troubleshoot common problems	State what the product or service does Describe the benefits of the product or service Explain how this product or service is superior to its predecessors or competitors Name the key features of the product Explain how these features benefit users Describe issues to consider when making a purchase State how to purchase or receive more information	Describe the purpose of the report Explain why the topic of the report is worthy of research Describe the methodology used to investigate the issue Describe the criteria used to evaluate the issue Describe how each choice rates on each of the criterion Describe the conclusions Act on the recommendations
General structure	Front matter Title page Edition notice Table of contents Preface Body Overview Tasks Troubleshooting common problems Back matter Appendixes (if any) Index (for instruction manuals over 30 pages) Reader comment form See Creating Book Elements for instructions on how to prepare front and back matter.	Front page (title of publication, company, enticing text and photo) State what the product or service does Describe the benefits of the product or service Explain how this product or service is superior to its predecessors or competitors Name the key features of the product Explain how these features benefit users Describe issues to consider when making a purchase State how to purchase or receive more information	Front matter Title page Edition notice Table of contents Executive Summary (also called an abstract) (see Writing Summaries for guidelines. Body Purpose Methodology and criteria Evaluating each option Conclusions Recommendations Back matter: appendixes (if any) See Creating Book Elements for guidelines on how to prepare front and back matter.
Writing suggestions	For the overview, follow guidelines for writing descriptions. For the actual procedures, follow the guidelines for writing procedures. Follow the writing suggestions in Style-o-Rama. Follow the design guidelines in Design-o-Rama.	Follow the writing suggestions in Style-o-Rama. Follow the design guidelines in Design-o-Rama.	Make sure that your information is credible. Document the source of all information. Write in a formal, but readable tone. Use lists and charts whenever possible. Write in the second or third person; avoid writing in the first person. Follow the writing suggestions in Style-o-Rama. Follow the design guidelines in Design-o-Rama.

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