Goal vs Process (was Frontpage 98)

[Jill Burgchardt <jburgcha -at- PESTILENCE -dot- ITC -dot- NRCS -dot- USDA -dot- GOV>]

Anyone who has written proposals knows the frustration of balancing the goal
(completed proposal) against other constraints John Posada refers to as "the
process of getting there."

I see this as having three possible causes, not just the process:  1) getting
sidetracked by processes, 2) having conflicting goals, or 3) being a
perfectionist.

1) Getting sidetracked may be a result of poorly defined goals or lack of
management.  In other words, writers get sidetracked because they head down a
road without a clear destination.  Even with poor management, we can help
ourselves in that situation by learning/using some project management skills.

2) Conflicting goals: Sometimes, shortcuts must be taken to meet a deadline.
The situation directly forces writers to choose a documentation solution that
meets a deadline regardless whether it is the best long-term solution.

3) Perfectionists: I think most technical writers are by nature
detail-oriented. Not surprisingly, that tends to go with perfectionism. The
very trait that helps us create quality products also hinders our efforts to
meet deadlines. Who wants to claim responsibility for work that isn't the best
you can possibly make it? I know I don't, but I've had to learn to reconcile
my expectations with the reality of proposal deadlines and release schedules.
Not everyone can. IMO, those who can't would probably be happier doing a
different kind of work or at least preparing documents that are not very
deadline-oriented. I know it was a great relief to me when I quit writing
proposals.  Now, software release schedules are a treat.

Jill Burgchardt
jburgcha -at- pestilence -dot- itc -dot- nrcs -dot- usda -dot- gov