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Subject:RE: Making them read the documentation From:KMcLauchlan -at- chrysalis-its -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Apr 2001 12:37:05 -0400
I would approach the engineers... or more appropriately,
manager[s] of engineers. Does someone who is
in charge of engineers know that this goes on?
Ask them for a tiny change in "procedure":
- The next time somebody from support/installation
comes around with a question, then ask that person:
"Isn't that in the manual?" (unless the asker is
really cute, and the engineer is looking for a little
social distraction, just then...)
The engineers -- who can't be ALL that busy, since they
haven't yet told the inquiring parties to "piss off and
rtfm!" -- probably like having their egos stroked, which
is why they continue to 'enable' this behavior.
The engineers' manager, on the other hand, probably wants
to see such interruptions minimized... unless, of course,
the inquiring parties are really cute and have to stroll
past the manager's office before reaching the engineers...
But, I digress... Anyway, your pitch is that you are sure
the manager would like the timewasting interruptions to
stop, and YOU would like to find out where your documents
need improving, so if the engineering group[s] could point
out exactly WHICH bits of info are being routinely solicited,
you could fix the "broken" bits.
Now, I'm not implying that your manuals are really broken
anywhere -- though, if there is a shortfall, it would be
nice to be seen to be proactively finding it and fixing it --
but the other effect is that the installers are quickly
weaned from dependence on engineers.
If they have a legitimate reason for bypassing the manuals
and bothering the engineers, then it'll be in their interest
to tell you the problem. Most likely, it'll turn out to be
simple habit/tradition from "the old days" when the company
was young and there WAS no technical writer.
/kevin
>-----Original Message-----
>From: S Godfrey [mailto:kittenbreath -at- lycos -dot- com]
>
>I've searched the archives on this, but have not found a
>satisfactory answer. And, perhaps it needs discussing again.
>
>The question: how do you get those darn users to read your
>beautiful technical documentation?
>
>In my company, not only our users, but our installation people
>fail to refer to the manual. I set it up to be either read, or
>quickly referred to. But still, our installation people
>repeatedly ask engineering the most basic questions - ones
>that are answered easily in the manual. For whatever reason,
>no one wants to read it.
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