Tech. Writers and the Organization (Long Posting)

[Robbie Rupel <ROBBIE -at- NENE2 -dot- CMS-STL -dot- COM>]

Greetings from St. Louis!

About a week ago I posted a request for opinions on where technical
writers fit into an organizational structure. The following is a
summary of the replies recieved to date. (The names have been erased to
protect the innocent!)

Method 1: Technical Writers Reporting to the Individual Teams

Pros

   -   the technical writer becomes a dedicated resource throughout the
 project's
       development cycle

   -   one technical writer per team eliminates resource conflicts between
 project teams

   -   the team provides autonomy for the technical writer (that is, technical
 writers can set
       deadlines based on team activity)

   -   there is better rapport with the members of the team (the team members
       eventually respect what technical writers do)

   -   the technical writer has a better understanding of how the project is
 coming
       along

   -   the technical writer can work on other parts of the project (i.e. user
 interface design,
       specification, etc.)

   -   the technical writer has a better opportunity to learn skills from other
 team members
       (programming, testing, etc.)

   -   the equipment costs for the technical writer are bundled into team
 expenses; this results
       in the technical writer having access to better equipment

Cons

   -   this method does not work if one or more teams do not have an assigned
 technical
       writer

   -   the team leaders do not know the technical writer's  expertise, yet give
 annual
       reviews and determine quality of work (i.e. they must be educated in
 these areas)

   -   the technical writer is isolated from other writers in the company (no
 support network;
       can lead to low morale)

   -   the technical writer must wear all "hats" (writer, editor, proofreader,
 etc); must be very
       careful when producing final product

   -   it is impossible to shift resources between teams to account for schedule
 slips

   -   the technical writer is often asked to help complete other parts of the
 project (such as
       testing) at the expense of completing their part of the project

   -   there is no central focus of what documentation is (each writer
 establishes their
       own vision and standards)

   -   there is no way to ensure conformance standards (a documentation style
 guide becomes
       a necessity)

   -   if several projects are to become a product, there is no clear ownership
 of
       the final manual (type, content, mechanics, etc.)

   -   there is no clear way to handle documentation-only projects

   -   there is no realistic career path within the company


Method 2: Technical Writers Reporting to a Documentation Department

Pros

   -   technical writers can keep quality communication as their first goal
 (this ultimately
       produces better quality manuals)

   -   fewer technical writer resources are required (because one writer can be
 assigned to
       multiple teams)

   -   technical writer resources can be shifted between teams to meet
 deadlines/last minute
       requirements

   -   technical writers can help a product move into new technologies (online
 help, manuals
       on CD ROM, hypertext links, useability testing, etc.)

   -   technical writers can have input to other company documentation
 (marketing literature,
       training documentation, policies and procedures, etc.)

   -   there is someone (or group) responsible for the final manual

   -   there is a mechanism for scheduling documentation-only projects

   -   the documentation manager knows writer's expertise, gives reviews, and
 determines
       quality of work

   -   the documentation team can enforce a Style Guide

   -   the technical writers get a variety of work assignments (product cross
 training is
       desirable with a small group of writers)

Cons

   -   technical writers are not always seen as part of the team; this can lead
 to a lack of
       respect for the job of technical writing

   -   technical writers may not always find out about project changes until the
 last
       minute

   -   there are potential conflicts of resources between teams

   -   the equipment costs for the technical writer must be repeatedly
 justified; this can result
       in reduced access to better equipment

   -   there is no realistic career path within the company

Thanks again to everyone who has responded to date. I am looking forward
to more discussions on this topic in the future.

Robbie Rupel
Senior Technical Writer
Computerized Medical Systems, Inc.
robbie -at- cms-stl -dot- com