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How Do You Define the Complexity of a Document?

Posted by BrettDashwood on November 4, 2013

I was alerted to a recent discussion on the LinkedIn Group Document Composition Professionals.  The discussion was started by Ryan McKinley, a Technical Consultant at Broadridge Financial Solutions, who posed the question, “Has anyone done any research on document complexity by industry?”

Several people from around the world responded with some options of where to find any research that may have been done.  They included Scott Bannor from OBRIEN, Fadel Iskander from TPSi, Henrik Nørby from GMC Software Technology, and Joe Pigeon from Paloma Print Products who also gave some of his own insight and opinions.

All shared very valid points, but it got me thinking, “how do you define complexity?”

If we define a complex document as having complex data...

• Is that using a flat export from a complex financial system that has a lot of superfluous information that you need to navigate through?
• Is that accessing multiple relational, connected, or disconnected databases at run time?
• Is that having a detailed multiple record type structure?
• Is that working with the intricacies of another language or character set?

If we define a complex document as having complex business rules...

• Is that pulling from 1000's of region and/or regulation based forms?
• Is that completely modifying layout based on combinations of demographic, geographic, socio-economic, or actual usage data rules?

If we define a complex document as having complex document objects...

• Is that the creation of 1000's of different forms or components that need to be variably pulled based on complex business rules that are equating, comparing, or calculating with complex data?
• Is that utilising external or host based resources where delivery methodology needs to be heavily analysed?
• Are they full colour, grey scale or monochrome?

If we define a complex document as having complex document layout...

• Is that highly complex marketing/educational/promotional components and white space management?
• Is that determining font and other document object sizes based on page content or data?
• Is that full colour, grey scale or monochrome?

If we define a complex document as having complex production...

• Is that determining a process and methodology for pulling different stocks from more trays than you physically have on the machine?
• Is that sorting and batching in such a way that requires the least movement of paper or the use of mailing machines with not enough insert hoppers?
• Is that working out a method to effectively and efficiently send a modern data stream to an older printing system?
• Is that developing the job in such a way that it doesn't clutch the printing system?

And I'm sure this just the start.  Complexity in all of these areas and more is surely relative to the knowledge and experience of an individual or a group. Many of us can probably recall examples of activities early in our career that seemed extremely complex, yet today we would breeze through them or at least unravel the details with a more calm and measured approach.

We often use telecom bills/statements to show students and customers the complexity of documents.  They typically have large variability on the number of pages, page content, as well as often highly complex multiple record structures and hierarchy, especially when looking at a consolidated bill for more than just a few phones.  They often have good effective use of usage data to drive promotional content (aka real Transpromotional) as well, whether that is for education or up-sell/cross-sell purposes.  That said we've also seen some pretty complex financial and utility statements too.

One of the most complex documents I know of globally is an electricity statement from here in Australia.  It utilises very complex data from multiple sources, it has many different layout complexities, the amount of business rules involved in all manner of things is sometimes a little mind blowing, and added to this it also generates multiple streams of customised XML for ingestion into other systems, all during the main production pass.

What would you add to this list that helps define a document as complex?

What are some examples of the more complex documents you’ve worked on?

What industry do you believe has the most complex documents?