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Sarah Stegall wondered: <<The small start-up where I work is still in
anarchy mode, so I have situations such as this: a software engineer
was contacted directly by a customer, asking for instructions on a
procedure. The engineer wrote up the instructions in whatever format
pleased him, sent out the documentation, and then notified me of his
fait accompli. We have procedures in place for documentation, which
include review and approval, and this guy simply bypassed them. I know
there will be no consequences to him. :)>>
There probably should be no consequences. Provided the instructions
were correct, no harm was done; on the contrary, this kind of instant
responsiveness is what makes many people willing to trust a startup
rather than sticking with bigger, slower companies like Microsoft. That
trust is what lets the startup survive long enough to become fat and
complacent.
<< My problem is this: I have now reviewed, edited and properly
formatted his instructions. It is now authorized for distribution to
customers. My question is: should I go ahead and send the updated,
proper document to the customer?>>
Of course, but include a polite cover letter: "We're pleased that we
were able to help you by providing quick instructions so that you could
continue working. Here are the revised instructions, which say exactly
the same thing, but are more polished and more consistent with the reat
of the documentation. Thanks for your patience!" In short, you're
reiterating the message that your company prioritizes customer needs,
but not at the expense of quality.
If possible, use this as an opportunity to work with the engineers to
send out polished information in the first place, but don't insist on
it if it becomes a major issue.
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