Definition of Done

What: This is my draft Definition of Done for my writing, to help me decide when I’m done and need to push Publish. I will continue to evolve it over time.

Why:

  • To help me ‘open the tap’ - resist the perfectionist urge to keep polishing and tweaking and never actually get something published, and at the same time

  • To make sure I haven’t missed anything important for the publication target

Note: The only DoD requirement for Comments is that it be
(1) kind/supportive and (2) on point/helpful.

Assumptions (entry criteria):

  • The following are already set up for the publication

    • 1100x220 image for the publication’s email banner (preamble)

    • Text content for publication email header and footer

  • The following are well-defined for the planned publication:

    • Target audience(s) (who and why they care, why they might bother reading)

    • Prerequisites (what this article does & doesn’t assume the audience knows)

    • Target topic and key takeaways for the audience(s)

All Publications

  • Content broken into sections and with small paragraphs and call-outs to help readability for a neurodiverse audience

  • Zero spelling or grammar errors

  • Ensure any images I use are:

  • (1) Compliant with my AI Usage Policy - either original or appropriately attributed/licensed.

  • (2) have alt text descriptions.

  • (3) do not perpetuate biases.

  • Credit and any necessary permissions have been confirmed for extensive quotes exceeding 'fair use’

  • People I quote directly have been offered an opportunity to review and confirm that they are ok with how they are quoted

  • Review feedback has been requested and incorporated from 2+ reviewers per major topic or book chapter (ideally: a reviewer from each stakeholder group)

  • Contributors are credited appropriately (with a link of their choosing)

  • At least 10 potential headlines were written before choosing one (and try to incorporate the 4P’s in it) - following this good advice from Derek Hughes via

    in

  • Document has been created for capturing errata and suggested improvements to a future article, page, or book chapter (may use Comments on the post for this purpose)

Articles and Pages

  • Clear takeaways are defined and, if relevant, next step(s) are identified

  • 420x300 (why that size, Substack?!) image or a larger one with similar aspect ratio has been selected for use in the article and/or on the SEO images, and configured in the post settings

  • Post URL and SEO settings customized appropriately

Books

  • SO many things here: TO DO - bring in references I’ve collected for to-do lists

  • ,,,