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You can institute a content moratorium if you like, but it may not solve
your problem. You'll just get harassed for a different reason - because the
documentation is "wrong".
Try this:
1. Institute a moratorium of 2-3 weeks before the release date.
2. When changes are demanded (and they will be), send an e-mail which says
something to the effect of, "As you know the deadline for changes to the
documentation was two weeks ago, however, since it is in the best interest
of our users we will make the requested changes. We estimate an additional
## hours will be required, at a cost of $$$$. These costs can be eliminated
in the future if we are informed of products changes further in advance."
Copy the manager with budgetary responsibility.
3. When the project is finished, write a report to the appropriate manager
giving the total number of changes, hours wasted, and the cost (make it a
list, not a summary, so they get the full impact of the number of changes).
Offer to help with process improvement for future projects.
4. Continue to lobby for teamwork and process improvement. Find allies on
the development team. If their development process is as bad as it sounds
like, they're wasting lots of time and money and management know it. You
might be able to be a catalyst for real change.
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IPCC 01, the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference,
October 24-27, 2001 at historic La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN UNTIL MARCH 15. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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