Re: Seeking counsel - yet another difficult work situation

[mandywilliams -at- networld -dot- com]

The only problem with this approach--which I like to refer to as an
"educated guess" or "assumption" about how the system works rather than
"made up" info--is that often the reviewers of the doc don't question what
is written and begin to assume themselves that's how the system works.
(This is probably symptomatic of having less-than-competent SMEs.) Even
worse, if it never gets properly reviewed, you run the risk of the info
getting out to customers who will then expect that functionality from the
system. You've got to make sure you have the right SME review it first and
not allow the semi-fictional info to be distributed too widely or you can
end up being responsible for creating some real confusion about the
workings of the system.


>From: Suzy -dot- Davis -at- doi -dot- vic -dot- gov -dot- au
>Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 15:21:30 +1100
>X-Message-Number: 73
>
>
>It's also a luxury that us short term contractors don't have.
>
>I developed a fairly ruthless method of working with SMEs when I was
>working with tender responses. If the SME didn't give me feedback in the
>required time, I would 'make up' how I thought it might work, and tell
>them
>they have a x hours/days to get any changes back to me, or it would be
>published/released as is.
>
>My 'made up' version usually terrified the SME so much that they would
get
>back to me pronto, desperately re-negotiate an extension of time - which
I
>would smugly allow (if possible), or be severely embarrassed in final
>management review meetings.
>
>I have found that it helps enormously to not care what people think
>(particularly SMEs). Warning to newcomers, this method usually generates
>short term gossip about your competency, but the gossip is neutralised
>when
>you publish the finished product on time and to an acceptable standard.
>
>Suzy
>


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