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--- Rebecca Downey <rdowney -at- matrox -dot- com> wrote:
> So why would I try to edit a programmer's flawless
> English error messages?
> Simple. No matter how perfect anyone is - someone
> should always look over
> their work. Mistakes happen, especially in rushed,
> deadline-pressed shops.
> Like mine. Sometimes I feel like I've added as many
> errors to the process as
> I have corrected (although according to our
> bug-tracking software that's not
> yet true...); but just as the programmers have code
> reviews, I conduct GUI
> and document reviews (during which, btw, the SME's
> are welcome to correct me!).
This brings up my pet peeve regarding my current
position (where I've been working for only five
months). While we have a decent size technical
communications group, it is unheard of to have another
writer review one's documentation. When I've tried to
get another set of eyes on one of my manuals or help
files, I'm told that we don't have the resources.
In my last job, where I was one of three tech writers,
one of the other two writers (whichever one had the
more flexible workload at the time) would always make
time to review any of my work (and I did the same for
them). While we were all very competent technical
communicators, the feedback caught last-minute typos
(the kind a writer can miss no matter how careful, as
just as a result of having stared at the same piece of
work for too many weeks) and also brought out ideas to
make a good piece of work even better.
Any suggestions on how to: a) get around the "we
don't have enough resources to edit each other's work"
lame exuse; or b) ensure documentation quality in a
lone writer environment?
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