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Subject:Re: The Worst Thing About Contracting From:Anthony Markatos <tonymar -at- HOTMAIL -dot- COM> Date:Sat, 24 Apr 1999 09:47:29 PDT
Anthony Markatos wrote:
When documenting complex business systems: No play politics, no get
essential procedures. No get essential procedures, no can create
task oriented documentation.
Eric Ray responded:
Nope. You might have to acknowledge issues, and should certainly
be AWARE of who is walking on whose turf, but you'll get far better
results by simply addressing the users' needs and making it clear to
your information sources what you're doing......
Tony Markatos responds:
Unfortunately, it is not that simple, see my comments below.
Continuing with Eric Ray's comments:
......If you're advocating "playing politics", you might as well
advocate insincerity and playing games. On the other
hand, if you're straightforward, honest, and user-focused,
you'll usually get exactly what you need, and without getting
sucked into politics or compromising principles. This,
of course, applies both to contractors and employees.
Tony Markatos responds:
There is nothing inherently unethical about "playing politics". ALL
governmental officials (for example) do it. Yes, I know that some
percentage of them are crooks, but many are among our greatest
citizens.
Yes honesty is important. However, at the root of all politics is
negotiation. Effective negotiation requires give-and-take.
(Many see this give-and-take process as insincerity and game
playing.)
There is no one set of principles. And, within limits, if it is your
turn to give, you just have to do it -- you don't have to be sincere
about it.
Do technical communicators need to "play politics"? You betcha. Tom
DeMarco said that "Analysis requires the negotiating skills of Henry
Kissinger" (not an a-by-letter quote). (Structured Systems Analysis
and Specification, by Tom DeMarco. Yourdon Press, 1979). Our, as I
would state it: Task Analysis requires a lot of give-and-take
(especially on larger scale projects).
Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)
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