Re: A technique to get on development's good side

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

In some cases, the hiring of tech writers coincides with the forming
of QA, HR, finance and various other depts that tend to ruin an
engineer's fun in what was previously a skunkworks-like startup.
So the "divide" that a new writer perceives may in fact be the
resistance and resentment of the design team to the company's
requirement that they begin behaving as if they work for a real
live profit-making enterprise.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Malin" <jmalin -at- tuvox -dot- com>

When I first started as a technical writer, I was warned about the
"great divide." I sometimes experienced it as a product manager, but I
never believed in it. I did not see that anyone was deliberately trying
to put that barrier in place. 

It may be that some businesses have the barrier left over from an old
style of management that did things by hierarchy and by clearly defined
roles. I've not seen this in my business (computer software).

I wonder if tech writers are unconsciously creating this barrier?

In any event, I refuse to accept that the barrier exists.



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