RE: RE: How to submit new version release information to the Tech nical writer

Subject: RE: RE: How to submit new version release information to the Tech nical writer
From: "John Posada" <JPosada -at- isogon -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 14:47:58 -0400


It has nothing to do with holes or busy time. It has to do with quality
of documentation.

I've written most of a user's document set from the functional specs,
but much I had to hold off on because the FS documentation was ....weak.
I could have written much better user documentation earlier in the
process if the spec documentation was better, which means the subsequent
departments that use my documentation, such as QA, could have gotten an
earlier/better start...it ripples through the development of the
application.

It also prevented some improvements to the application because changes
that were discussed in development never got documented and subsequently
got lost.

I refuse to base the quality of documentation by available time. I
improve the documentation process to achieve quality documentation.

John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Isogon Corporation
http://www.isogon.com
"Realizing Your Business Goals
Through Software Asset Management"

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-143723 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-143723 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com] On Behalf Of Mailing
List
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004 1:46 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: RE: How to submit new version release information to the
Tech nical writer

John Posada said:

> Up to now, my current department has been responsible for user and
> admin documentation, as well as marketing and web content.
>
> This morning, I went into the office of the other writer and said that

> at our next department status meeting, I'm proposing that we take over

> the creation of the application Functional Specifications, which to
> this point, have been done completely by Product Engineering.
>
> The look of terror on her face was priceless. :-)

You're saying that, "to this point", you have had big uncommitted holes
in your schedules and had been looking for something to occupy your
time? Luxury!

I'm not used to that. I'm more accustomed to holes being relatively
rare, and usually unannounced, and to schedules normally being "up to
here" with stuff that needs to get done, to the point that triage and
prioritization are usually necessary.


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