RE: How to fend off a tech writer

["Jane Carnall" <jane -dot- carnall -at- digitalbridges -dot- com>]

>This is just a humble opinion, but it seems to me that
>if you have been working on a project for a few months
>and then are told not to bother the SMEs, you have
>failed to interact properly to create a good
>deliverable.

In 7+ years of working as a technical writer, the only time I have ever been
told "not to bother the SMEs" I can (with hindsight) trace the problem to
the management style of the company: the managers who wanted to lay claim to
their little fiefdoms inside the company, and were viciously reluctant to
let any least bit of their resources escape them. The result was an utter
mess, and yes, we technical writers were blamed for it (and yes, at the time
I felt responsible) but with benefit of 20/20 hindsight I can see that the
only changes that would have made a real difference were impossible for any
of us to make.

In all other workplaces, I've operated on the simple system of saving up
queries and either walking over when the right person seems to have a free
moment and asking for five minutes of their time, or e-mailing them with a
request to meet at a specified time ("your desk or mine") if it seems likely
to take longer. I've never been told to desist. (I have from time to time
failed to get along with a specific SME, but not recently.)

On the other hand, on being approached about a possible job as first
technical writer in a start-up that had been rolling along for two or three
years, I changed my mind and backed off when I was told that one of the job
requirements was to write the documentation from the specs "without taking
up the developers' time - they're very busy right now". Uh huh. It might
have been a perfect opportunity to turn that company's concept of
documentation around, but OTOH I already *had* a job, and one I wasn't that
desperate to leave...

Jane Carnall
The writers all stand around a cauldron chanting and occasionally tossing in
a small PHB. Unless stated otherwise, these opinions are mine, and mine
alone. Apologies for the long additional sig: it is added automatically and
outwith my control.


________________________________________________________________________

E-mail is an informal method of communication and may be subject to data corruption, interception and unauthorised amendment for which Digital Bridges Ltd will accept no liability. Therefore, it will normally be inappropriate to rely on information contained on e-mail without obtaining written confirmation.

This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this e-mail in error) please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any unauthorized copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this e-mail is strictly forbidden.

________________________________________________________________________



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by May 15. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.