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> Marci Abels wrote:
>
> > What other tasks, other than instructional, might be
> completed by TWs in
> > the course of your jobs?
>
> ... a key resource for Knowledge Management (KM).
That too.
However, I've fairly often found myself doing testing, being the
first one to try an almost-complete semi-debugged piece of
software. In such circumstances, I usually crash it a lot, and
someone usually fixes it.
To some extent, I've also been quality control. Even under
deadline pressure, and even after the developers say it
passes their tests, if I crash it often and say so loudly,
they are likely to be reluctant to ship it.
Finally, I think one of our most important roles is as some
sort of user advocate. If the interface is badly designed,
hence hard to document, we can say so, maybe even
suggest worthwhile changes.
I remember documenting a system for load sharing across
multiple computers. The fastest machine you have is 1.
Rate all the others as fractions of that. What happens
when you add a new machine, faster yet? It is now 1.
Change all the other ratings. That's what the software
requires.
So I got them to make few simple code changes. The
slowest machine on your net is 1. Others are multiples
of that. Add a new fast one? Call it 37 or 5000, whatever
you need. Much easier to deal with administratively,
and makes more sense to users.
Not all interface changes are as clear-cut as that one, and
you will lose some arguments including some where you're
right, but there is definitely a contribution to make there.
--
Sandy Harris
Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
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