tracking writer progress on tight deadline?

[julie brodeur <jool -at- petting-zoo -dot- net>]

Hi,

I have a tight deadline coming up (12 working days) in which to coordinate
4 inexperienced writers (they are technical experts, not writers, but are
writing due to the time constraint).

Do any of you have recommendations on how I can make sure I get the
documentation from these "writers" in time for me to format and edit the
data? (And run it past reviewers and update it.)

I suggested they set a schedule like 4 topics a day to write, but they
seemed amused by this. :(

Their boss has already made it clear that I need their info by an earlier
date to make the final delivery date.

Perhaps I need to do nothing but wait until a couple days before my
deadline for incorporating their data and pester them that their docs are
due to me in 2 days?

I could also set specific due dates for each topic (randomly), but I doubt
that would work, since some procedures are probably dependent on others.

The answer here could just be to trust my co-workers to get their work
done on time.

Of course, what do I do if they *don't* get their work to me on time, and
my deliverable doesn't meet the deadline. :(

As always, I appreciate your insight and tips. Many thanks.

-julie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
jool -at- petting-zoo -dot- net



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