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Subject:Can someone learn to be detail-oriented? From:Jill Burgchardt <jburgcha -at- PESTILENCE -dot- ITC -dot- NRCS -dot- USDA -dot- GOV> Date:Tue, 17 Aug 1999 07:38:12 -0600
The other tech writer here just moved on to another job. Nice person, but
not
detail-oriented. There were problems. With her leaving I now find myself
in
the newly created position of Task Lead. The hope is that they can prevent
a
recurrence of past problems by providing more direct management/training.
An inhouse person will be moving into the vacant TW spot later this week.
I've
heard that she is not detail-oriented either. I'm concerned, because I
don't
see how someone can succeed at tech writing in this environment unless they
are
EXTREMELY detail-oriented.
So, can it be learned or is it a personality trait that you either have or
don't
have?
I've developed a training plan, set up editing and proofreading checklists,
developed a peer review process, etc. as preventive measures. Now I'm
curious
whether others faced with similar situations have succeeded in training
coworkers to overcome this deficiency. What were the methods? What were
the
results? How long did it take before you could allow the person to work
without
close supervision?
