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Subject:RE: Preparation for a phone screen interview From:John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 10 Jan 2003 09:25:29 -0500
If I'm told I have 10 days for a deliverable, they get X depth of coverage.
If I'm told I have 60 days for a deliverable, they get 6X of coverage.
In 10 days, I may describe how to fix something.
In 30 days, I may describe what to do if the first fix doesn't work
In 60 days, I may describe WHY it is happening in the first place so it
doesn't have to be fixed in the first place.
The more time, the more depth.
The trick is to know both your marathon and sprint capabilities...how much
can you do every day (marathon) and how much can you do during the last 5
day sprint, and not exceed your abilities by more than X% Without some, you
don't grow..think of your ability as a muscle...you need to exercise it for
it to grow.
If someone changes the rules in the middle, be prepared discuss the impact
on the schedule with that person and to determine what you can eliminate so
that you can add the new requirement.
And sometimes, when you are asked to do something at the last minute, be
prepared to "just say no".
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Barnes&Noble.com
jposada -at- book -dot- com
212-414-6656
icq: 178047452
aim: jposada1
"When you only have two minutes to do
something that takes three, wait until you have three"
-----Original Message-----
From: jgarison -at- ide -dot- com [mailto:jgarison -at- ide -dot- com]
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 8:14 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: Preparation for a phone screen interview
Susan, I agree 100%. I, too, pride myself on never missing a deadline in
almost 30 years on the job. It all comes down to doing the best you can with
the time allotted.
My approach is generally to get a little bit of everything documented by the
earliest possible deadline, with extra time and attention on the 'hardest'
stuff for people to 'get'. If I get more time, I use it appropriately,
filling in more depth in the places where it is needed most. If I get even
more time, I continue in that vein. Eventually, I either get it ALL done, or
we ship. But regardless, I am always ready with the best possible stuff in
shippable form on a potential release day.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A new book on Single Sourcing has been released by William Andrew
Publishing: _Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation_
is now available at: http://www.williamandrew.com/titles/1491.html.
Help Authoring Seminar 2003, coming soon to a city near you! Attend this
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