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Subject:RE: The End Of Technical Writing From:eric -dot- dunn -at- ca -dot- transport -dot- bombardier -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 28 Oct 2004 16:58:15 -0400
John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote on 10/28/2004 02:03:03 PM:
> The advantage of creating diagrams by pencil (I'm partial to
> ultra-fine sharpies) is that it IS slow. Slow gives you the
> opportunity for discussion.
Fine. IF your discussion is taking place over the creation of a diagram or
analysing a flow.
BUT, Tony was only redrawing, not discussing. And, I'd think a quickly
produced drawing would lead to longer discussion of the overall process or
a reanalysis of the flow to verify the modified chart.
Additionally, diagrams aren't the only way to take a step back and
analyse. Nor is it ABSOLUTELY necessary to complete a diagram before
proceeding with the actual meat and bones of the documentation, nor is it
often possible to analyse the entire system as design is still in
progress.
This discussion seems to hit the same silly levels as so many on list.
Someone has found a method that works for them and the rest of us are bad
techwriters because we don't work the same.
And actually, this all sounds a little like Infomapping. Common sense
wrapped in a book of commandments(TM) and delivered with free fruit juice.
;) Their templates, terminology, t-shirts, and rhythmic chanting or your
own method. Much the same thing.
Seems I've produced MANY simplified flow charts and schematics when they
are the best way to present or study a system, function, or task.
Hydraulic, electric, and pneumatic system documentation is chock full of
them. It's just I don't call them DFDs.
And while a particularly complex schematic/diagram/flow chart does give me
a sense of accomplishment, I just don't seem to get the same rush of
excitement and joy Tony seems to. Nor do I see them as the pivotal thing
that makes my documents great and constituting 98% of my work. Nor would I
presume to be able to guess the perfect solution to the problems and
workflows in the industries and companies of the vast array of techwriters
on this list.
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