Re: Slow Down Development, NO; Speed up Minds, YES

[Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

<SteveFJong -at- aol -dot- com> wrote...
> 
> Allen Cooper, in _The Inmates Are Running the Asylum_, pointed out that 
> customers accept bad software when there's no alternative, but aren't happy 
> with it, and certainly not loyal to it. His case study was Novell NetWare, 
> which was first on the market with a file- and print-sharing solution for 
> distributed LANs. It was first, and everyone bought it; but in Cooper's 
> estimation, the product was not good. (I use NetWare, and I can't disagree 
> with his assessment.) When other vendors (Microsoft and Apple) came up with 
> better solutions, Novell's market share collapsed, and (Cooper writes) the 
> only people still using NetWare are the ones who can't afford to switch.
> 

Exactly. However, had Novell gotten a clue and seen the coming storm, they
could have easily beaten Microsoft in the server war. Unfortunately, Novell,
like many companies, became so enamored with their success they failed to
improve what they already had. Novell also went through some horrible internal
power struggles. 

Being first to market can get you customers and a place in a rapidly filling
game. However, you have to keep improving your skill if you want to keep your
market share.

Now - there is potent lesson inside this principle for tech writers. It is
often best to just get the job DONE vs. getting the job done perfectly. You
cannot build the Sistine Chapel in version 1.0. 

I don't believe in the "Fast, cheap, or good - Pick Two" nonsense. A good
writer can do all three, most of the time. Just like a good programmer, a good
artist, or a good horse castrator. "Fast, cheap, AND good" is the core of the
new economy.  People don't care if you fretted over every last phrase and
paragraph if the job isn't done on time and done cheaply. 

So get back to work - you.

Andrew Plato
Lame advertisement: get busy laughing at http://members.home.com/aplato




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