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1. Murphy's Law of Work -- "Work expands to fit the willingness to do
it."
2. Pareto's Law -- "20 percent of the work produces 80 percent of the
results."
I agree with Al that "good enough" in no way excuses sloppy, mediocre
work. Nor does it excuse inaccurate work, especially in our profession.
That said, I strive for consistent quality, but I also try to avoid
chasing the elusive siren of perfection. No need to crash upon the rocks
when the next challenge awaits.
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Cardimon, Craig
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 7:42 AM
To: Techwr-l
Subject: "Good enough"
I just read a fascinating piece from the January 2004 Intercom called
"Coping with Wordslaughter and the 'Good Enough' Syndrome."
I had an encounter with "good enough" yesterday. I proofread a small
procedure no one is going to read!
That's right. No one is going to read it, but it had to be included in a
system we were shipping out.
Also, I got to be the test subject for the procedure.
The procedure was a little rough around the edges, but anyone could read
it and follow it.
Support wanted it off their collective desk, so I said it was "good
enough," even though it could have used some polish.
My question for you folks is, how do you all cope with "good enough,"
and how often does it show up?
-- Craig
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ComponentOne Doc-To-Help gives you everything you need to author and
publish quality Help, Web, and print content. Perfect for technical
authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial. http://www.componentone.com/DocToHelp/
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
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