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Subject:RE: And finally, the sign-off was... From:Kim Roper <kim -dot- roper -at- vitana -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 31 Oct 2000 15:13:53 -0500
Something that is crystal clear to my colleagues: If I'm not out the door
on time, I risk pissing off my caregiver. If she's pissed off, she'll quit,
and then it's good luck trying to keep my time and energy focused on work.
I will work overtime to compensate for time spent at school or with a sick
child. I will work overtime to make sure that the documentation is done on
time, as I am able. Just don't make me decide between a manual and my
child, because the decision will be easy.
This must be one of the reasons that the corporate universe isn't always
friendly to single parents :>
Cheers ... Kim
kim -dot- roper -at- vitana -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: BMcClain -at- centura -dot- com [mailto:BMcClain -at- centura -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 2:44 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: And finally, the sign-off was...
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)
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