Re: Scoping a DocumentationProject??

Subject: Re: Scoping a DocumentationProject??
From: Bill Swallow <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 12:19:08 -0500

> Yes, that is the question that I asked. I am aware of
> what the requirements engineering community does, but,
> not how the Tech Writer community does it.

OK, so the question was serious, but your follow-up comments are
extremely confrontational. If you're interested in how the Tech
Writing community scopes projects, why are you negating the answers of
how the tech writing community scopes projects? I don't follow. Your
responses have all indicated that others' methods are incorrect or
otherwise inferior to your own (intentionally or not). I'm sorry if
you perceive replies like mine as "grilling" but when several people
are now replying in this manner, what does this indicate to you? That
we're being unreasonable? Or perhaps that your demeanor could be
altered just a tad?

> The two
> communities sometimes do the same basic things in
> radically different fashion. Take for example
> analysis. What the requirements people call
> functional analysis is basically the same thing as
> what the Tech Writer community calls end-user task
> analysis. But the two communities do analysis
> radially different. Requirements engineers proceed
> top down; Tech Writers (per Hackos), mainly, bottom
> up.

Correct.

> Bill Swallow:
>
> If you weren't interested in entertaining others'
> answers, why did you ask it?
>
> Tony Markos:
>
> Why do you say such? I am a Tech Writer. I don't know
> how Tech writers scope a project. So I ask.

Then I am at a loss as to why you are proceding as you are.

> Bill Swallow:
>
> What are you looking from out of this community?
>
> Tony Markos:
>
> Secrets Bill, top secrets to sell to the Russians.

It was a serious question. I honestly don't know what you're after.
You've received many extremely useful replies, and have brushed them
all off in favor of your own approaches. If you wanted answers, you
need to hear them. If you wanted to hear yourself talk, you can easily
do that without leading on an entire community of people.

> Bill Swallow:
>
> It seems you do not want to entertain anyone's input
> unless it is in line with your own thoughts Rant,
> Rant, Rant.
>
> Tony Markos:
>
> Again, I do not know how TWs do scoping. I asked.
> When you asked for clarification of what scoping was,
> I gave you an example of what the requirements
> engineering community uses to try to same time
> explaining things. What is wrong with that?

It's not what you said (repeatedly), but how (repeatedly). This is why
you have received replies from Dick, Sharon, myself, and others that
have all commented on your contdct and delivery.

> Bill Swallow:
>
> Please, for your own professional development,
> consider the advice of the many of us who have
> suggested to read up on alternative techniques,
>
> Tony Markos:
>
> I did do research. I found nothing. I ask to get a
> thread to go on. What is wrong with that?

Again, consider how you've gone about it.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
============================
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Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: Scoping a DocumentationProject??: From: Tony Markos

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