Re: Value of Techwriters

Subject: Re: Value of Techwriters
From: Rose Wilcox <RWILC -at- FAST -dot- DOT -dot- STATE -dot- AZ -dot- US>
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 12:02:00 PDT

Robert wrote:
>When engineers come into contact with customers, they begin to understand.

On the project I'm currently contracted to, we are using a process called
"Rapid Application Development". The developers gather the requirements
and write the functional specs through meetings with the users. They then
develop a prototype application matching the reqs as they understood them,
meet with the users, change the design of the prototype to match the
comments at the meeting, meet with the users again, and so forth.

This is a new methodology and our crew is still learning how to do it. The
interesting thing is that management now wants the developers to include the
tech writers in on the meetings with the users. Yeah, team! Of course, the
developers are still resistant to this idea....

I'm not sure that getting engineers involved with customers is automatically
going to result in them seeing the value of tech writing. It hasn't
resulted in such an attitude here. I have still had to work hard trying to
get *management* (let alone developers) to see the value and support us in
our needs. Now that I've got management on our side, we may have half a
chance.

The first release of our product went out without help attached because of
the prevailing management/developer attitudes. As we work on the second
release, several things in our environment have changed: we've gotten new
developers on the team, management roles have shifted, it's obvious now that
the tech writers have been left out of the loop and that this caused online
help to be not delivered.

I guess this methodology is new, and that if the developers manage to use it
properly, their attitudes towards customers and writers and trainers alike
*may* change -- but they haven't yet. Some of the developers, who prefer to
work with a "lone wolf" attitude, will wash out and not make it. I think
the role of developers in software engineering is changing. Thus the type
of personality required for success on the job may be changing. This may
become true in other fields of engineering also, because of the emphasis on
"teaming" that seems to be gaining some prominence.

The attitudes towards writing as being an "add on" and "not important" etc.,
as well as the elitist attitude of being smarter than everybody else, seem
to be deeply ingrained, at least around here.... They ain't changin'
over-night, I can guarantee that.

What can we do? Let's continue to stick up for ourselves, or more
importantly, for the customer. I found that by continuing to state my point
(sometimes calmly, sometimes more passionately), that eventually my message
seems to have sunk in, at least with management. I'm also privileged to
work with a small, but dedicated team of tech writers who are not only great
at developing documentation, but completely professional -- personable and
trustworthy. I think holding to high standards of professionalism and being
strong in our message, yet encouraging and open to our team mates --
engineers and management -- will eventually win out.

Rose Wilcox
rwilc -at- fast -dot- dot -dot- state -dot- az -dot- us
ncrowe -at- primenet -dot- com
The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.
Anonymous


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