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>I have an interview Monday where I'm supposed to talk
>about technical specifications I have written. I have
>"written" *functional* specs (with data sent to me by
>developers) but I have never heard of a document
>called a Technical Specification.
>
>Since different organizations/industries call
>documents by different names (For example, is it a doc
>plan or a doc spec??) I am hoping they mean functional
>spec. (Yes, I asked the women who screened me, but she
>didn't know and I didn't want to too boldly flag my
>ignorance.)
You just gotta ask them. As you say, different companies use the same
terminology for different things, so the only way to know is to ask. Just
say to them what you said to us: "I've written functional specs, but I've
never heard of a document called a Technical Specification. Can you tell
me something about the type of document you have in mind?"
BTW, about boldly flagging your ignorance, this is actually a very powerful
thing to do. It's scary, because you naturally feel like they're going to
slam the door in your face if you confess to not knowing something. But
asking, as a knee-jerk reaction, "What is X" when you hear X and don't know
what it means, actually buys you instant credibility. (Only with sensible
people, but most people are sensible.)
It says, more clearly than if you'd stated it explicitly, that you're here
to get a job done and you don't hide potential problems that other people
need to know about. I can't say I've convinced my stomach to quit tying a
knot every time I boldly flag my ignorance, but I've never regretted doing
it. The increase in trust and respect is usually noticeable within seconds.
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