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:Seeking Input On CM-Idiot Issue From:"Marybeth S." <marybeth -at- HOTMAIL -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 7 Jan 1999 13:40:45 PST
Hi All,
I am working on several Year 2000 projects for the government. As the
team lead/documentation manager/whatever you want to call me, I am
responsible for timelines, deadlines, and final products to be delivered
to the customer.
The company has hired a Configuration Management guy who besides many
personality issues, in my humble opinion, a total moron. As a joke, we
keep tally marks as to how many times he has asked different people how
to copy a file in Windows Explorer. The current count is 27. His
response is that he doesn't know anything about Windows applications as
he is a mainframe guy (this was demonstrated by his inability to create
a flow chart in Powerpoint and distributing handwritten copies instead).
While the applications we are testing and remediating are mainframe, his
skillset is valid. However, now he has mandated that all documentation
must flow in and out (um, so to speak) of him. This incredibly high-paid
imbecile who does not know how to install Office 97 (I handed him the CD
ROM and when I returned 2 hours later, he said he didn't know what he
was supposed to do with it) now has management convinced that he should
not only have total control over versioning of MY team's documentation,
but that he should hold all original and electronic copies which we have
to check out (not electronically, because he doesn't know how to do that
- he's made a cute little handwritten signout sheet) in order to use as
reference material.
I am so frustrated and angry that I can't see straight. Is it me, or
should I have been allowed some input into his dictation? Do any of the
tech writers on this list maintain their own libraries separate from CM?
Marybeth
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com