RE: new manager, need advice - and movie titles!

["Sean O'Donoghue-Hayes (EPA)" <Sean.O'Donoghue-Hayes -at- ericsson -dot- com -dot- au>]

They wrote:

"Evelyn Barker" wrote.

> I want to insulate the writer from as much heat as I
> can, but I don't want to come across as a martinet to
> the rest of the company. I don't think a lot of strict
> lines of authority and rules are going to help, but at
> the same time the writer is concerned that he will be
> pulled in a thousand directions by the competing Alpha
> project leaders.

>>>I have a lot of other ideas, but I'm too tired to write them all here.
>>>Wait for the movie. 

>>>>Andrew Plato 

I wrote(far too much):

Evelyn,

Protecting the technical writer from flack/heat won't work. The writer just
has to become part of the team, it is that simple - and of course that
complicated. The writer should attend those meetings, if the requirements
specifications are not clear then the TW should provide clearer ones - often
on complex projects we are the only ones across the entire project - on many
occasions I have found that creating a simple flow chart that shows the way
that the different modules of functionality interact assist me in
understanding the project - it also quite often opens the eyes of the
project team to what they are doing. If it is a big project the technical
staff (developers, etcetera...) are to caught up seeing trees to worry about
the forest - and usual documentation is trying to document the forest.

Don't scare them. When dealing with the developers ask what their function
does and where it interfaces.
Then find the next developer. Once you have some idea see the
architect/designer for confirmation that you are close to their idea - you
may find your idea is different from their design, however you may find this
is not because you are wrong - but because the designer hasn't been kept up
to date with what the team are doing.

Be enthusiastic. Be enthusiastic. Only whinge in concert with the developers
- and agree when they whinge. You are on their side. They ARE wonderful
human beings once you get to know them - we all are - once everyone on a
project reaches that stage everything will work fine (unless everyone is of
the opinion the project is doomed - in which case just start reading Dilbert
now).

Most importantly: Change the name of the project - Project Alpha - there was
actually a Base Alpha - it was sent the Moon spinning out of control, and
out of the Earth's orbit, when its nuclear waste dumps were detonated...

and the movie - Andrew is doing a movie!?! Hmmm "Plato's Republic" - hmmm to
obvious and probably not true, "Plato's ShoreBreak"? "Plato and Louise"?
"Plato and Rockefeller"? Perhaps in the grand tradition of the Godzilla
movies, "Plato vs Bill Gates"!!!

ahhh, oh my god!!!!

YES!!!!


YES!!!!


the perfect movie title - even the OAD agrees:  "Plato Subjective!"  

regards and thanks, 
Sean O'Donoghue-Hayes
Sean.O'Donoghue-Hayes -at- ericsson -dot- com -dot- au
Melbourne 3000


PS: OAD is of course the Oxford Australian Dictionary. :-)

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