RE: Doc. departments in the Corporate Org. Chart

[jgarison -at- ide -dot- com]

I am not saying that documentation should exist in a vacuum or solely within
an organization. However, IMHO, in the software industry, I'd rather be in
development for several reasons:

Access to technical information and SMEs
Access to funds and other non-personnel resources
Access to QA and other ancillary development groups

While I certainly maintain connections with Marketing, Sales, Support, and
Product Management, I feel it lends my group more credence when we are
coming from the development organization than any other area, including our
own enclave.

Again, my 2¢,

John




-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Byfield [mailto:bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 5:42 PM
To: jgarison -at- ide -dot- com
Cc: Avram_Baskin -at- pciwiz -dot- com; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Subject: Re: Doc. departments in the Corporate Org. Chart


jgarison -at- ide -dot- com wrote:
> 
> Development, IMHO, is the best place to be. That way, you are
> organizationally aligned with the rest of the people who develop the
> products your company sells. In my book, if it goes on the CD (or in the
> box) it must be done by a development group.
> 
> It sure beats being part of marketing or support.

While writers need to interact closely with developers, their view
is sufficiently different that they need to talk to more than
developers. But marketing may be in touch with what users want, and
support may know what problems users are having. 

That's why (if an organizational chart must be drawn up in the first
place), I like writers to be on a sidebar, well away from the rest
of the corporate structure. If they're doing their jobs well, they
don't really fit into any single department.

-- 
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
604.421.7189 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"When Laertes heard his Dad has been stabbed in the arras,
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And Ophelia, with her Dad killed by the man she wished to marry,
After saying it with flowers, committed hari-kari."
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