Guidelines for Creating and Updating Topic Summaries

Guidelines to Create and Update Topic Summaries

• 1. Introduction

  2. Preparation

  3. Structure of Topic Summaries

  4. How to Create Screenshots

  5. Overview Diagrams

  6. Other Graphics

  7. Bullet Point Conversion

  8. Examples

  9. Checklist

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Introduction

A Focus on Force (FoF) study guide is structured according to the topics in the official study guide. Each topic summary in the study guide has a number of subtopics which describe the underlying concepts.

A topic summary is a concise explanation of a topic. Some of the important considerations related to it are as follows:

• • It does not repeat Salesforce help.

  • It consolidates the major points that someone would need to know to be familiar with the topic.

  • It includes screenshots to illustrate the Salesforce user interface.

  • It is not include step by step training.

RELEASE NOTES

PLEASE CHECK THE RELEASE NOTES FOR THE CURRENT RELEASE RELATED TO YOUR TOPIC FOR ANY IMPORTANT CHANGES

https://releasenotes.docs.salesforce.com/

Preparation

• • Read Salesforce documentation or help pages to prepare for a certain topic.

  • Read the latest release notes to identify any updates related to the topic.

  • Configure your own Developer Edition org or Sandbox for understanding and scenarios,

  • Use your own Developer Edition org or Sandbox for creating screenshots.

  • Create a user named ‘Martin Gessner’ with the 'System Administrator' profile, and login to that user for any screenshots.

  • Download Jing for taking screenshots: https://www.techsmith.com/download/jing/ or use your native screenshot tool if you are running the latest Catalina iOS for MAC.

  • Check if you have access to this folder. This is where you will be saving, editing and updating the images, diagrams and screenshots to be used.

DO NOT:

• • Copy Salesforce Help or any other Salesforce documentation.

  • Copy word for word from other sites or training materials.

  • Include step by step instructions on how to configure and use the feature (unless a sub-topic requires the description of a process, such as 'Setting up an Entitlement Process').

  • Use abbreviations - such as SF for Salesforce.

  • Use UK/AU English.

  • Write in the second person, such as "you should use this particular feature" or "this feature can be accessed in your org's Setup".

DO:

• • Include links to the most important Salesforce reference materials.

  • Include links to Salesforce videos, such as the 'Who Sees What' series. Salesforce videos that are hosted on YouTube can be included.

  • Use US English.

  • Write using passive voice. For example, "Live Agent can be configured in Salesforce Setup".

  • Use declarative sentences. Such a sentence simply makes a statement and ends with a period. For example, "Omni-Channel allows routing work items based on skills."

Structure

A topic summary should consist of the following elements:

• • Learning Objectives - They describe what a user should be able to learn from a specific topic to help them become ready for the certification exam.

  • Introduction - The introduction is a brief description of the topic that generally includes information about the context and why it is important.

  • Overview Diagram - The overview diagram is created in Google Slides (only when the topic is first created).

  • Subtopics - Each subtopic consists of bullet points that summarize the information. Important terms are highlighted in bold.

  • Screenshots - The screenshots contain text that highlights important points related to the topic. These include screenshots of configuration and the results in the User Interface.

  • Learn More - This section consists of important links to official Salesforce documentation, help pages, and videos.

  • Review - This section generally consists of 3 review questions related to the information described in the topic.

There are several important points to remember while creating or updating a topic summary:

• • Avoid exceeding 8 bullet points in one subtopic (if it is necessary, use your best judgment).

  • Include important limitations and constraints.

  • Make sure that there are screenshots for Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience.

  • Add Lightning Experience screenshots whenever possible.

  • Add a short caption for each screenshot (in the Google doc, separate from the image itself).

  • Add key links to Salesforce documentation/help pages.

  • If possible, add links to Salesforce videos (from Salesforce, Trailhead, Youtube).

  • Add diagrams created in Google Slides to illustrate important concepts.

  • Add sample use cases if required/helpful.

Here is a sample structure of a topic summary:

Topic Objective

After studying this topic, you should be able to (Learning Objectives):

• Objective 1

• Objective 2

• And so on...

Introduction - This topic describes...

Overview Diagram

Subtopic 1 (This usually corresponds to Objective 1)

• • Bullet Point 1

  • Bullet Point 2

  • And so on...

Screenshot Examples

Subtopic 2 (A topic summary generally has multiple sub-topics)

• • Bullet Point 1

  • Bullet Point 2

  • And so on...

Screenshot Examples

Use Cases or Requirements/Solutions

Learn More Links: help.salesforce.com

Review Questions

Question:

Answer:

Lightning Note

When it is clear that separate functions are implemented in Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience, call out a function (for example, home page creation), document the elements that need to be configured, and then indicate which steps are implemented in Salesforce Classic, Lightning Experience, or both. Also, please note the following:

• • Indicate the status of a feature in Salesforce Classic.

  • Indicate the status of a feature in Lightning Experience.

  • Be explicit if a feature is available in Salesforce Classic only. If so, mention if there’s a Lightning Experience equivalent and vice versa.

Salesforce Classic and Lightning Screenshots

Overview Diagrams

Please note the following with regard to the creation of overview diagrams for the topic summary:

• An overview diagram is a visual illustration that briefly describes all the subtopics within a particular topic summary .

• Each subtopic should be described separately in the overview diagram.

• Icons from the noun project website should be added to the overview diagram. Each icon should represent a particular subtopic or objective. Generally, an overview diagram also consists of an icon in the center that is related to the main topic.

Here are some examples:

Other Graphics

Please note the following with regard to the use of other types of graphics in the topic summary:

• An infographic can be created for a particular subtopic, capability, feature or process in order to explain it visually.

• If an infographic needs to be added to a subtopic, it can be created in Google Slides.

• The link to the infographic should be added while creating or updating the topic.

Here are some examples:

Bullet Point Conversion

We have originally used bullet points to describe the concepts, but are replacing them with infographics and other more visually appealing ways of formatting the information. The web page builder (Thrive Architect) used for the website allows the use of certain visual elements that can be used in place of regular bullet points. Please note the following with regard to the conversion of existing bullet points to these visual elements:

• Use Draw.io to convert bullet points under a particular sub-topic to visual elements.

• Draw.io can be accessed using this link: https://www.draw.io/ 

• Use squares and/or rectangles to create sections for the heading and bullet points.

• Specify the icons that should be used for the information.

• Save the diagram in Google Drive, and add the link while creating or updating a topic summary.

Here's an example of a format created using Draw.io:

And here's the corresponding sub-topic within the main study guide topic on the website:

Samples

Find examples on this sample page.

Checklist

At the end of the review, please go through the checklist below to ensure that the review is complete.

PLEASE CHECK THE RELEASE NOTES FOR THE CURRENT RELEASE RELATED TO YOUR TOPIC FOR ANY IMPORTANT CHANGES