Re: "Design" was Re: Tech Writing a Growing Field?

[HBacheler -at- aol -dot- com]

If your design is 'flawed', and not documented 'sufficiently' to be  
understood by your replacement/subordinates you will have a problem down the  
line.

I know of several projects where a person either died, or  left for 
another engagement.  And all of the knowledge  that person possessed was 
'lost'

I was working for an organization where the Lead Analyst was in a critical 
meeting with the customer.  After the meeting he was walking out of  the 
building 
and a bus came over the curb onto the sidewalk and killed him.  The  entire 
multimillion 'dollar/euro' project had to be scrapped because he was not  
around, 
and had NOT documented critical informaiton.

A technical writer has  experience in several areas that enable him/her to 
AID in the documentation  of your design.

When I was just getting into the CMM area, I was told  that a 'successful 
project' should have a technical writer assigned as soon  as the project 
manager, the QA, and the configuration Management personnel  were selected.  
This ensured consistency of the documentation

Peer reviews are NOT managementt reviews, and serve a different  purpose.
 
Peer reviews, whether walkthrough, technical discussions, or final  
inspections, 
should be conducted from day one.  This review process  encompasses all of 
the 
various organizational entities, who get a chance to  review, comment, and 
revise 'everything' that makes up the project.   The technical writer is an 
integral part of this process.

Whenever a technical writer, either 'full-time' of 'part-time', is assigned  
to a project, he/she brings corporate/experience knowledge that might be of  
benefit to 
all concerned.  
 
In some organizations the technical writer is assigned to 
the Quality  Assurance organization.

As a technical writer I do not have "to  understand ... process for designing 
a planetary gear train,"  I am  there to support you in documenting the 
process.  You are the Subject  Matter Expert (SME) and it is my assigned job 
to support you in documenting  the process.  After I document the process, it 
is your job to ensure  that what I documented it correctly and I did not miss 
anything.  We  are a team, sometimes only 2 people, sometimes the entire 
staff working on  the project

Remember - you are the teacher of your subordinates, and it  is your 
responsibility to share your knowledge with them.  I am there  to help you do 
that.

I personally have been in software, hardware,  and operational environments 
where my exposure to other areas helps me ask  the questions that will help 
you do that.

I believe that all/most  technical writers have the same viewpoint.

Harry
(an old grey/gray  hair)





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