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> Our department (tech writers) uses a documentation plan (copy
> available on the
> techwhirler site) which states very plainly that reviews are part of the
> documentation portion of the project,
And some of us can write up doc plans until we're blue in the face. And
managers can express support for them and engineers can have every intention
of reviewing documents before they hit the client. But what happens in real
life is very different.
The lone writer faces different challenges than a documentation team, and
it's not just a matter of scale. It is a matter of both numbers and of
power. Very often the lone tech writer is working amidst a group of
engineers, and while there is a common team on many levels there will always
be a point in which it comes down to the tech writer versus engineers
(usually involving deadlines). The lone tech writer has no advocate,
whether peers or manager, and so must fight their own battles. They rarely
have any power to issue ultimatums to other team members about reviews or
interviews or deadlines (and even if they did, this would almost always be a
bad move psychologically when working in a small team).
In addition, the lone writer position is very often coupled with a small
company environment, which is often characterized as fluid, unstructured,
creative. Planning may well be done, but "processes" are flexible. Some
might say unorganized, but that's not really true. It's just a different
environment and it can work wonders in small companies.
In my next job, I will be looking for a writing team environment. Not
because I think it's better. I've done the lone writer schtick for five
years and now I want to see how the other side lives. But there is a real
rush to being a lone writer. It's not safe and it's not comfortable. But
it can be fun.
_______________________
sella rush
applied technical systems
silverdale, wa
developers of CCM knowledge discovery
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A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
three and a half days of immersion in the state of the art:
IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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