FW: The mushroom syndrome

[Lynn Perry <CLPerry -at- WALLDATA -dot- COM>]

Tom Campbell
<snip>
> Taking meeting minutes may be an unpalatable task (I know it is for me!)
> It's tedious, it can feel subservient, and I can't put meeting mins. in my
> portfolio!
</snip>

Although you can't put meeting notes in a portfolio, you *can* use them in
your resume to describe the process you put in place for enhancing
communcation between the development and documentation groups, a very
valuable use of time (and it might help to reduce the tedium if you look at
it that way instead).  I've found this method tremendously valuable for
keeping in the loop.

In using Tom's suggestion of maintaining an issues list, I've also found
that it helps developers remember decisions (and reasons behind decisions)
as well as informs other developers of potential issues that may not have
been considered.

I highly recommend these methods if you have the time (depending on your
involvement and your personal requirements for resolution and perfection
(;->), it can be extremely time-consuming. It can also lead to greater
responsibility (such as project management), which may or may not be
something you want.

You may even find that developers will come to you to help get issues
resolved! Once that happened for me, the developer's attitudes changed a lot
and fewer bits fell into the "guess-I-forgot-to-tell-you" bucket.
Personally, I think it's always good to show off competence, regardless of
the task.

C. Lynn Perry
clperry -at- walldata -dot- com
Wall Data Incorporated / Seattle WA
Some days it doesn't pay to gnaw through the straps


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=