Creating Flawless Documents: A Step-By-Step Guide by Janet Jarnagin
Documentation is a large part of many industries. No matter your position, the interpretation of data into information can be achieved with the right tools and documentation methods.
The Qualities of a Good Document
Janet Jarnagin, a New York-based expert on board and management reporting in financial services, knows how clear and concise documentation is an invaluable asset for all industries. With many years in the finance industry, she dedicated her time to perfecting the tools and systems she uses to create the perfect document. Jarnagin believes that the qualities of a stellar document include the following:
● High degree of accuracy: Accurate documents are essential for industries that should leave no room for error. For example, healthcare businesses should have a streamlined, error-free form of documentation to avoid medical malpractices.
● Clarity: All documents should be easy to read, properly formatted, and highlighted for its main points. Clarity is essential to help convey the original message for all parties concerned.
● Completeness: Aside from clarity and accuracy, the completeness of the document should always be prioritized. Is all the information placed within the designated document? If the document is done through a collaborative team, are all parts submitted? These are some of the questions you need to ask to ensure that the document has all the necessary components.
Having considered these qualities, Janet Jarnagin would also like to provide a concise and straightforward guide on creating the perfect document while explaining the benefits of each.
Focus on the content
Although it is easy to think that a perfect document is intricate and detailed, this does not have to be the case. It is essential to focus mainly on the content as this is what the document is for — to access information effectively.
To give an example, financial spreadsheets should have rows and columns concisely labeled. For example, the income sources should be indicated as “online,” “in-store,” “franchise,” and such so that it is easy to interpret what the numbers represent.
Benefits: A document focused on content will be accessible and effective for the people who will use it.
Appropriate typefaces in various platforms
Janet Jarnagin explains that there are different appropriate typefaces for various document platforms. Perhaps you may have heard about the serif and sans serif fonts, and you may have used them intermittently on print and digital documents.
However, there’s a guideline that can help you determine the right kind of typeface to choose in your documents:
● Digital documents: Sans-serif fonts are easier to read in digital documents. Sans-serif encompasses those fonts that don’t have the extra strokes at the end of each letter, such as “Arial” or “Helvetica.”
● Print documents: Printed documents such as books, leaflets, single forms, and other types of on-hand writings can be best read with a serif font. As opposed to the sans-serif, serif fonts have extra strokes at the end of each letter. Examples are “Times New Roman,” “Garamond,” or “Bodoni.”
Benefit: A fitting typeface can help your document become more readable and lessen the chances of misreading, depending on the platform.
Images should ideally be placed in between paragraphs
Images, such as charts and graphs, are often used to support the text within a document. However, instead of complementing, they can at times disrupt the document’s readability when placed incorrectly. If you would like the reader to refer to an image on a document explanation, it is best the wrap up the paragraph above and put the image beneath. Placing images midway on a paragraph may lead to problems in the clarity and continuity of the text.
For more formal documents such as journals and reports, placing some images as a reference point in the Appendix may be ideal. The goal of the image is to provide a clearer picture of the data presented — if anything is just “extra information,” it should not be placed in the main text.
Benefit: Placing images and other infographics after or before paragraphs ensure readability and support in the data presented.
Headings and bullet points
The structure is also an important part of having a well-created document. Even with a rich type of content, it is hard to deliver a clear message without having structure through headers and bullet points.
Janet Jarnagin recommends having header titles no more than 5–10 words, while bullet points should also be used if you are enumerating items of the same topic. These items will help readers find the correct information if they decide to skim through the content or if they choose to highlight the main points per topic.
Start by creating an outline to make appropriate headings and bullet points. Using the outline, place in the main topics that will be presented in your document, which will act as headers. The headers will further expand into subheaders and bullet points for a more concise presentation.
Benefit: Having headers and bullet points allow for easy navigation, readability, and seamless creation of your document from start to finish.
The Perfect Document: Content, Structure, and Purpose
The perfect document should tick all requirements for content, structure, and purpose. Through the guidelines mentioned above, it is possible to master the craft of having well-made documents for business, career, or academic purposes.
