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I'd say this is probably the approach that has the best chance of
getting anything accomplished, with one modification. Since the
management wants each writer to support a specific group, each
writer should handle the writer-group interactions for his or her
assigned group, and then all writers can pool the actual hands-on.
A single point of contact with each group will help avoid having
SMEs bugging all the writers indiscriminantly and also maintain
the public illusion that you are each doing what management
wants. This is actually the working system I employ in my dept,
except of course that everyone in the company knows it.
One tactic I'd try in your shoes is a fait accompli -- that's French
for "sneaky mutiny."
Are the management actually continuously monitoring all three writers?
Collaborate in a way that seems sensible to you (one interviewing
SMEs, one checking for style, etc.?) and swap information back and
forth by email. You've already implied that management aren't
comparing notes with each other at the top level -- who's going to
catch you?
A cash bet that they won't even spot common text and phrasing in all
three projects would be a safe investment.
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