RE: Squashed egos... it ain't pretty!

[barry -dot- kieffer -at- exgate -dot- tek -dot- com]

The ignorance I have to deal with goes something like this:

Program Manager: 
"We need to cut down on the time and cost of all of the documentation you
create. Instead of writing all of the (paper) manuals, how much time and
money can we save if you JUST put everything online?"

Gee Mr. Program Manager, if I "JUST" put everything online, I don't have to
write a thing! It will just be there (somehow).

Where Lisamarie almost blew out an artery, I stood there dumbfounded. I
never in all of my career realized that instead of writing all of that
stuff, I could "JUST" put it online.

Now that we have online documentation, we technical writers do not have to
write anything anymore. Take it from my astute program manager: "Just put it
online!"

Barry (stealing a line form Elvis Costello)
"I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused"



> Lisamarie Babik writes:
> I recently got into a grudge match over the time line I'd established for
> a 
> particular document's delivery.  My boss said, and I quote:
> 
> 		"Given the choice between a quality document that
> 		will take 4 months, and a mediocre one that will take
> 		4 weeks, I'll choose the mediocre one *every time*!"
> 
> I swear, I just about blew an artery when he said that.
> 
> There is so little understanding of what our job entails...it's
> frustrating, 
> plain and simple.  I hate the fact that I am forced to constantly produce
> less 
> than my best work.
>