RE: Creative Technical Writing

[John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com>]

Just to deviate from it isn't good enough.

Deviation must be done only if it enhances the goal.
The deviation must be incorporated into the plan so the change to the plan
ripples through all related factors.

Simplistic example:
Suppose the plan was to install a major release SQL database application
upgrade for enterprise deployment on 300 servers at 15 sites around the
world. It includes all the normal backup, rollback, delta/benchmarks,
testing, and deployment tasks. It has 30 steps (obviously, it would be much
more). Now, at around step 10, it is determined that because of something
else, the OS that the database is to be installed on changes from Win2000
Enterprise Server to Linux. Obviously, if step 20 was "Check MS for all
required SQL Security Patches", that step (along with many others) is no
longer valid. So, from step 10 on, you must rewrite it as new plan. 

John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Barnes&Noble.com
jposada -at- book -dot- com
NY: 212-414-6656
Dayton: 732-438-3372
Although she lives with seven other men, she's not easy.
------ Magic Mirror

--- John Posada <john -at- tdandw -dot- com> wrote:
> The bad way to work a plan is to create the plan, then stick to that plan
> without deviation, saying...sorry, it's not in the plan.

Well, a good plan is more like a good idea. You follow it when it makes
sense,
and deviate from it when that makes sense. 

This is why reason is more important than process. With reason, you make
decisions based on fact and current events, not blind obedience to the
process.
Unfortunately, a lot of folks have a tough time with reason, and therefore
resort to the "if its not in the plan, we don't do it" sort of thinking. 

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