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Subject:RE: taking too long From:"Grant, Christopher" <CGrant -at- glhec -dot- org> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 9 Oct 2002 16:24:32 -0500
> This is not simply CYA; cross-functional signoffs ensure that
> everyone is pulling on the oars in the same direction at the
> same rate.
And that the technical writer is actually on the boat, and not on the shore,
waving his or her arms in frustration. :)
> Not to hijack this thread, but the reason that I responded
> here is that writers who are ignorant of this planning process make life
> difficult for all writers, because, as Genevieve's boss apparently
> demonstrates, there is a tendency among those in other disciplines to
underestimate
> the difficulty of producing good documentation.
Great point, Will. To me, this is just another way of saying that technical
writers need to be (able to be) involved with a project from the getgo and
participating in the project in the same way clients, SMEs and developers
participate.
Like you said, being ignorant of this fact is dangerous: for both the reason
you mentioned, and also because it's very difficult for a writer to really
"own" his or her documentation if they're only brought in after the fact. I
personally feel it's absolutely impossible to write solid documentation
without being involved this way. (And by solid I mean comprehensive,
bulletproof, robust, useful, etc. as opposed to passable, acceptable,
workable, etc.) YMMV, of course.
Chris Grant
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