RE: And finally, the sign-off was...

[BMcClain -at- centura -dot- com]

Our story so far:  Jane's going to a postmortem with the proj mgr on how to
deal with documentation changes after dealing with the SME from Heck.

To the below, I'd add this:  "Just 'cause I thought my way looks better" is
does not really justify the need for a change, and it absolutely doesn't
justify reverting your edits back to the SME's original version.  I'd have
gone ballistic if an SME did that repeatedly.  So, to avoid going ballistic,
if I found any violation of the ground rules we'd agreed to, I'd hand the
document back to the SME with, "Umm, I see you've changed this back to the
way you had it, but we agreed once I made the edits, they wouldn't be
changed back.  Would you care to look through the draft you just gave me to
make sure you didn't do it elsewhere?"  Unless this SME is so thick she
absorbs neutrinos, that should get the message across.

Also....document, document, document!  Keep generational drafts of the work
you get & give back, somewhere where they can't be altered. And let your
boss know you're documenting these events.  Somebody's going to need a
"Pearl Harbor" file eventually, sounds like.



Bill McClain
("Writers are always selling somebody out."  - Joan Didion)


-----Original Message-----
From: Carnall, Jane [mailto:Jane -dot- Carnall -at- compaq -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 2:08 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: And finally, the sign-off was...


<<snippage>>


This is what I want to say tomorrow:

My preference for reviewers is for them to make an online copy of the latest
draft (we use Word), renamed with their initials attached to the name, and
add comments to the document, explaining any changes they feel are required.
I accept that some changes (the name of an argument, a code change) are more
appropriately made directly into the document, but I want a comment noting
that this change has been made and asking me to make it a global change.  If
sections have been deleted, I want the deletion marked with a comment
explaining why it has to go. And don't ignore *my* comments in the hope
they'll go away: answer!

If it's simply a fiddle "I think it looks better that way", then fine, they
can put it in with Track Changes, I'll note it, and if *I* think it looks
better that way, I'll use it. (And I'm more likely to use it if the person
making the change can *explain* why they thought it looked better.)

When it comes to a final draft, I don't want to see any changes except error
corrections. No rewrites at the last minute!

Small spur-of-the-moment corrections, additions, etc, etc, can be sent to me
by e-mail.

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