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Subject:Re: In the Trenches, A Bit of Venting From:David Neeley <dbneeley -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 15 Nov 2002 15:15:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Jan Henning said, among other things:
"Andrew does have a point when he recommends that, put
bluntly, a very productive writer do not shackle him- or
herself to a procrastinating one - he may get dragged down.
Rather, try to apportion work at the outset, making clear
what everybody is expected to do. This lets you avoid a
situation where you worked much more than the other guy,
but not enough to finish the project on time, and still
have to share the blame for a job badly done because it
isn't clear who did what and who should have done what.
(And will it look bad if you _then_ try to blame the other
guy, especially if he's been there longer!)"
As a practical matter, I think you might consider reaching
agreement with the other writer, then send a confirming
letter to that writer with a copy to the manager, setting
forth your agreement as to what is to be required of each
of you. You might even build in milestones leading up to
the product launch.
That way, if you do it tactfully the other writer will have
little ability to complain initially--and you'll have
several points during the project where the manager can
have an opportunity to recognize a problem if there still
is one, in time to correct the situation and still meet the
document deadline.
This way, *you* are covered if everything craters, *and*
the project is more likely to be fixed in time if the
manager chooses to do so.
In such a message, tact and a businesslike attitude are
extremely helpful. Sort of a "this is to confirm my
understanding of our documentation responsibility plan and
tentative schedule from here until launch. I will expect to
have project summaries of my work prepared for review of my
productivity to date not later than each milestone
indicated. If this for some reason is not acceptable,
please indicate it to me immediately. Otherwise, I will
assume that this plan is approved and I will proceed
accordingly."
I hope this helps!
David
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