Re: writer needs a pep talk

[Goober Writer <gooberwriter -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

> - the project still has major feature
> changes/additions well after the 
> proposed UI freeze date

Document what you can as it trickles out of
development and into testing. You do test, right?

> - there never was (n'or was there any hope of ever
> having) a plan for the 
> project.
> - the deadline is in two weeks

Then there's really no *planned* delivery date, just
an arbitrary deadline, which, since it's not planned,
is someone else's issue. ;) Seriously. People can say
"I want it out by June 16th" but they can't without a
plan to complete work by that date, at least not a
product worth putting out there. The person who
proposed that deadline needs to suck up the error and
plan NOW for completion. I know, it ain't gonna
happen. But, what can you do if a body of people get
together and agree to work without a plan to meet some
arbitrary deadline? ...And I thought the dot-bomb era
was dead... LOL!

> - my SMEs are so busy making all these changes that
> I've been told there 
> really is no time for a review of my big User Guide

So don't have them review the big user's guide. Why
not give them small bits of the important or changed
stuff and have them check it as they're testing those
features?

> Management seem to know my situation, I've been
> quite vocal about the whole 
> thing. ie, you guys are gonna get a crappy user
> guide because you keep 
> changing everything and can't review my work to make
> sure I understand what 
> you're doing...

Wrong argument. "You" and "I" should never enter a
dispute over review time, planning, and deadlines.
Money makes the corporate world go around. No input
and changing info/features = poor docs = poor product
= poor user experience = bad sales and/or high support
costs.

> Anyone have any ideas of how I should approach my
> next two weeks? And then, 
> how should I try to get this to work better next
> time?

Next two weeks: do what you can with what you have.

Next time: push for a plan in the company's best interest.

=====
Goober Writer
(because life is too short to be inept)

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