Re: Review meetings vs. distributing copies

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

I usually do both.  Distribute a review copy with the meeting
invitation (which is an "invitation" in name only, since everyone
knows we won't be allowed to cut metal, much less ship product,
without approved documentation).  This results in a swirl of
emails as the reviewers thrash out contentious comments,
with the face-time meeting used to arrive at final resolutions.
Nobody here wants to waste time sitting around a table going
over a document page-by-page, which is what everybody
knows we'll have to do if nobody does any pre-meeting reviewing.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Downing, David" <DavidDowning -at- Users -dot- com>
> Over the past several years, I have noticed a phenomenon connected 
> with
> the age-old problem of getting technical reviews from SMEs. If I just
> distribute copies of a document, either hardcopy or electronic via
> email, and ask for comments back, I always get nada or almost nada. If 
> I
> call a review meeting, people will accept the meeting invitation and
> come to the meeting. In fact, I just had the same group of people 
> accept
> a meeting invite who had hitherto not been giving me any feedback when 
> I
> just sent them copies of the document through email.
>
> The question is -- why does this happen? One theory I've heard is that
> calling a meeting forces people to pay attention and respond, whereas
> just distributing copies of the document lets them set it aside and
> forget it. But I have my own theory -- that the SMEs are more willing 
> to
> put the time and effort into giving me feedback if I'm willing to make
> the effort to stop hiding in my cubie and be social enough to attend 
> and
> preside over a meeting. I was wondering which of those theories makes
> more sense to everyone here, and/or whether anyone has their own 
> theory
> to suggest.

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