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Re: Expectations (possible rant - it IS Friday!)

Subject: Re: Expectations (possible rant - it IS Friday!)
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 18:21:15 -0800


Robyn Richards wrote:

My questions are: have you found this to be the case? How do you
manage such expectations? How do you get across the fact that
Technical Writing is a profession and not just "the ability to write"?

Unfortunately, such expectations are all too common. In the minds of most managers and executives, technical writing is a minor concern. Few have the time or inclination to learn much about the job - any more than they do to learn about programming or quality assurance.

The best way I found to manage these expectations is to make clear the difficulties as soon as possible while remaining polite. That is not always welcome, but leaving unrealistic expectatons unchecked only delays the conflict and makes it worse. You should also consider the axiom that, in any organization, problems with the formal organization are patched by informal arrangements. In other words, you need to look for ways to get some time with the developers before the official time you've been allotted.

As for trying to "get across the fact that Technical Writing is a profession," I wouldn't even try. The execs don't care if you belong to a profession. What they care about is whether you can deliver results. Do them the courtesy of explaining the situation and show that you are doing your best to get the job done, and they may come to treat you as a professional. The profession itself, I'm afraid, doesn't interest them.

--
Bruce Byfield 604-421-7177
http://members.axion.net/~bbyfield

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Expectations (possible rant - it IS Friday!): From: Robyn Richards

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