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Subject:RE: Process kills the dot.com From:Mike Stockman <stockman -at- jagunet -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 26 Oct 2000 16:27:18 -0400
On 10/26/00 3:41 PM, Jim Shaeffer (jims -at- spsi -dot- com) wrote:
>Many technical communicators are not in a position to add to the information
>(the gold).
>
>They are in the position of obtaining knowledge (usually from SMEs) and then
>transforming (organizing) that knowledge into something that makes it easier
>for the end user to also obtain the same knowledge.
Maybe I've just been lucky in the 25+ writing contracts and jobs I've
had, but I've never been handed "knowledge" by subject matter experts or
anyone else where I could just organize it and publish it.
Usually, I have to collect "knowledge" by reading specs (when they
exist), interviewing developers and other experts, reading code where
applicable, and playing with the product (software or hardware, in my
jobs) until I understand what's going on enough to write original
material about how it works for the audience. That's the "gold," and it
wouldn't exist if I or someone in my position didn't create it.
This is the main reason for my opinion, stated in previous threads of
this kind: An ability to learn and write well can succeed in the absense
of a process, while process can't possibly succeed (produce good docs) in
the absence of good learning and writing.
Processes can certainly make life easier and more efficient, if they are
put into place well and are allowed to evolve sensibly. Sadly, they're
too often like the Scient process described in the article.
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