TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Number of Projects From:"Cheverie, Paul [Cont]" <paul -dot- cheverie -at- GPO -dot- CANADA -dot- CDEV -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 21 Sep 1995 11:19:00 EDT
Gordon,
It's difficult to say how many projects a *typical* writer can handle
at one time. It depends on the complexity of the projects, how much research
is involved, how much writing is involved and the capabilities of the
individual writer. I have handled as many as eleven fairly small (40 - 60
pages) projects at one time and felt perfectly comfortable with the
situation. On the other hand, I've also had 2 extremely large projects at
the same time that made me feel completely swamped for eighteen months. In
the second instance I was fairly comfortable with the equipment I was
writing about, but my deadlines and available resources were ridiculously
inadequate and I hope to never repeat the situation (my then boss gave me
three hundred hours to complete each of the books - needless to say I never
made the twit's deadlines).
If you're feeling overloaded, perhaps you should see if you can't get a
little more separation between your project deadlines, or have your
employers hire some temporary help for you - but be prepared to document
your situation and reasoning thoroughly enough prove your position to your
employers.
Best of Luck
Paul C.
