Document Development Exposition: Workplace Correspondence

Explain in detail your document’s development from planning to finish, describing your
challenges, how you overcame them, and what you learned.

Planning
Creating a memo and email that provide directions for preparing a peanut butter and jelly (PB&J)
sandwich started with careful planning to guarantee efficacy and clarity. Finding the ideal ratio of
thoroughness to brevity proved difficult, given the wide range of recipients that an email may reach.
Developing succinct and informative language was necessary to overcome this obstacle. The
integration of visuals, such as diagrams or photographs, posed a problem for email readability and
file size. This was overcome by offering download links for more comprehensive visuals and
optimizing image formats. The lessons learned from this approach were how crucial it is to modify
instructions according to the communication medium, recognize your audience's diversity, and
develop creative ways to include images without sacrificing email functionality.

First Draft (for peer editing)

A dynamic document creation process was initiated with the email and memo's first draft containing
recipes for peanut butter and jelly (PB&J) sandwiches. Finding the right balance between inclusion
for a memo's more detailed format and brevity for email efficiency proved complicated. Peer editing
was necessary to find places where succinct language can unintentionally cause misunderstanding
and identify potential clarity gaps. The solution to this problem was to use helpful criticism to
improve the language so that the instructions were understandable and consistent across the two
communication channels. Another challenge was using images, given the limitations of email
formatting. Optimizing picture sizes and including links to more in-depth graphics were proven to be
solutions.

Second Draft (for your packet)

Focusing on resolving issues found during peer editing highlighted the shift from the second draft of
the email and memo instructions for a peanut butter and jelly (PB&J) sandwich within my packet.
One challenge was ensuring that the memo contained all the necessary facts while simplifying the
directions for emails. To overcome this, a compromise had to be made by reducing the email version
without losing any important details. To overcome the limitations of the formats, condensed
graphics were embedded in the email, and more comprehensive visuals were attached to the memo.
The peer editing process was very helpful in streamlining instructions, enhancing wording, and
enhancing the user experience.
 Document Development Exposition: Workplace Correspondence

Final Draft (for your portfolio)

Developing the email and memo instructions for my portfolio's peanut butter and jelly (PB&J)
sandwich involved overcoming several obstacles to get a polished and easily navigable final draft.
One of the first challenges was balancing keeping the memo's detailed information and the email's
conciseness. To overcome this, careful editing was needed to ensure all the information was
communicated efficiently in each iteration. Email formatting limitations on including graphics were
overcome by optimizing the photos and providing download links for more in-depth visuals in the
memo. Clarity was improved, and language was largely refined because of peer comments. This
iterative approach made clear how crucial it is to modify instructions for various communication
channels, be succinct without sacrificing meaning, and strategically use graphics.