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> Yeah, like having your supervisor say, "Why'd it
> take you so long to learn how
> to document that? You're being paid to write, so 80%
> of your time should be
> writing, not fiddling with the software. If it takes
> you so long to learn this
> technology that you're writing less than a quarter
> of the time, perhaps you're
> not up to the task of quickly absorbing the
> technology and writing about it."
Interesting scenario Bonnie. Allow me to pontificate
on how I would handle it. *vbg*
First, I don't smile and accept criticism like this.
What this situation clearly denotes is your
supervisor's inability to do his/her job, as any
manager, to be effective, must know the what, why, and
how of what their employees are doing. The manager
doesn't need to know the details, but definitely a
hefty gist of the job.
Second, I wonder if a lead programmer would be treated
the same. "You had 4 months to architect this
component, yet 70% of your time was spent in meetings
and logged to 'research'. I pay you to code, so most
of your time should be spent hacking in C#." I think
not, but if so, the manager again fails, as obviously
scoping and logical analysis are not part of the
manager's understanding of the developer's job
description.
Third, I would reply and engage in constructive
conflict. "I understand you are upset that I have
spent so much time researching this project and little
time (in comparrison) actually writing about it.
However, in order to effectively document this
product, I needed to fully understand how it works,
why it works the way it does, and what the business
cases for its use are. Otherwise I could not
effectively communicate to our customers how to
properly use the product, which would negatively
impact our users. There was a lot going into this
project, and without thorough understanding, most of
my writing time would have ended up as overhead, as I
would have had to rework a good majority of the
information after the initial draft was written. So,
though I spent more time planning and preparing to
write, I actually saved time by finding the correct
information first, getting the document right the
first time. I will gladly spend more time writing and
less researching that which I'm writing about, but be
cautioned that this approach could lead to time wasted
reworking the facts in the document."
[and now some good advice wrapped around a funny bone]
Finally, this entire mindset of "work harder, not
smarter" is the result of prolonged exposure to CRAP
(Cursory Reliance upon Analytical Planning). The more
they are around CRAP, the more comfortable they become
with CRAP, until their entire environment smells of
it. And, to be blunt, CRAP is messy. It starts out
bad, continues to decompose logic and reason, and
covers everything it touches (docs, dev, marketing,
sales, management... everything).
Cleaning up CRAP boils down to a simple formula:
proper planning + systematic approach = good process
Sure, they want you to write. And write you shall.
But, should you start keying away about a subject you
know nothing about? Or should you "get edumacated"
first so your writing actually makes sense? In other
words, what's the value of misinformation, or in the
case of the developer, a component that doesn't work
the way it needs to work? Exactly; it's CRAP. You
don't want a product that stinks, so don't smear it
with CRAP.
=====
Goober Writer
(because life is too short to be inept)
"As soon as you hear the phrase "studies show",
immediately put a hand on your wallet and cover your groin."
-- Geoff Hart
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