RE: Changed topic to skills we need - Warning! I am wordy.

["Giordano, Connie" <Connie -dot- Giordano -at- FMR -dot- COM>]

Well I didn't exactly say it the way you replied. It might have been less
confusing if you had let folks know the parenthetical phrase was your own
addition.

I think there is a difference in perspective here--I don't view end-user
task analysis as a planning task only.  I also view it as a
testing/evaluation task that usually leads to revisions and enhancements in
the product, which leads to revisions and enhancements in the documentation.

Hard to say after just three months in this position, but you might start
checking out how you look in green :)  Sometimes you just get real lucky.

Connie
-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Markatos [mailto:tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com]
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2000 2:55 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: Changed topic to skills we need - Warning! I am wordy.


Connie Giordano said:

And if you spend all your time planning [including end-user task analysis], 
how much real technical communication can you expect to do.   I would prefer

to spend 10% of my time planning, and devote the rest to writing, editing, 
layout, design, usability analysis and testing, and other the "trades" that 
I've either mastered or am extremely good at.

Tony Markatos responds:

Note: The biggest part of what I mean by planning is end-user task analysis.

So why spend more than 10% on planning activites?  Hey, if everything is 
working out OK - in terms of end-user satisfaction with the documentation - 
then one would be a fool to spend more time planning.  If you have succeded 
in finding such a work environment (where 10% planning yeilds highly-usable 
end-user documentation), I'm jealous, REAL jealous.

Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)