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> We've got about a month between the code freeze and the docs freeze. This makes me
> nervous. Does this seem like a reasonable amount of time to finish up?
> There's no test time for the docs if we finish up a week before we burn. Is
> this a pretty typical scenario for content complete? I imagine we'll just
> have to suck it up and order a lot of take out in that last month, but I'd
> like to mitigate where possible. I don't want my team to hate me when this
> is over.
> Advice?
Whether this time is reasonable depends on what you have to document
and how big your team is. It's amazing how a deadline can motivate,
so the chances are that you can manage. However, you might want a
fallback position or two in your planning. That is, plan what you'll
cover if you run out of time. If you can't do a complete job, what
can you leave out and still do a good job? If you can't do a good
job, what can you leave out and still do an acceptable job? You
probably don't have to plan beyond that, but, if you do, the next
step is to lobby for more time.
Some people might call that planning for failure, but I think it's
only sensible. Anyway, it shouldn't take much time, since you should
already be deciding what gets written first anyway.
But, in general, a good general rule is: if meeting a goal requires
the work of more than just you, never plan so tightly that you can't
allow slippage. The more people involved, the less control you have
over the schedule. If you have a very tight team, from the coders
through to the writers, you might manage a tight schedule, but
that's a very rare situation, and, even then, something unforeseen
occurs. If you allow for slippage and don't need the extra time,
you'll look good. If you don't allow for it, something will have to
be left out - and, in this case, it may very well be testing the
documentation.
And, as an aside: An actor or an athlete who isn't nervous before a
performance doesn't usually his or her best, and the same is true
for a manager. Keep being nervous, and you should do fine.
--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
604.421.7189 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"The squire has a piece of paper that says he owns the land,
The bishop has a bible that says our souls are damned,
Mackenzie had a printing press, it's soaking in the bay,
And if Mackenzie comes again, there will be hell to pay."
-Dennis Lee, "Mackenzie"
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