Re: How can technical documentation add value?

Subject: Re: How can technical documentation add value?
From: Jean Hollis Weber <jean -at- jeanweber -dot- com>
To: Technical Writers List <TECHWR-L -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2004 15:07:25 +1000

Peter Neilson wrote,

The best value you can add is to be involved early in the design of
the product as a spokesman for the future customer. ...
Perhaps there is some magic strategy that'll make
every PHB see that a TW in the design stage is a Good Thing. If
anyone has this figured out, let us know!

Here's a true story. Of course, it won't work with _all_ PHBs (no one strategy fits all), but for what it's worth...

Once upon a time, the techwriters on my team tried to be part of the software design team, and were refused. When we received the design documents, and all through the development process, we pointed out usability problems and were ignored or told to shut up as that wasn't our job. We, of course, kept a written record of everything we suggested, despite getting a reputation for being troublemakers.

Eventually, the program was usability tested (very late in the development process, as is commonly the case). The techwriters were gratified that the list of problems that came back from usability testing was almost identical to the list of problems that we had identified months previously. The project manager realized that, had we been listened to earlier, and our recommendations followed, those flaws would not have been present at that late stage, and his team would have looked soooo much better than they did. Also they would not have had a mad panic to clean up the worst of the problems before rollout of the product.

Guess what? For the next release, we techwriters were invited to join the design team. Others on this list might be able to adopt that strategy to their own situations.

Don't argue on the basis of what's good for the customer (even though that should be your real motivation). Instead, convince the boss or the programmers that you'll help make them look good, and save them time and money overall, and you're in. It's basic "what's in it for me?" marketing.

Regards, Jean
Jean Hollis Weber
jean -at- jeanweber -dot- com
The Technical Editors' Eyrie http://www.jeanweber.com/






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