Re: This too is technical communication

["Raj Machhan" <raj -dot- machhan -at- gmail -dot- com>]

At my optimistic best, when I compare it to the other areas technical
writing is no more than an up and coming profession, which is still to find
its exact place in the SDLC. The majority of staff, including the PMs tend
to be condenscending towards tech writers. I guess every tech writer is
familiar with complications due to "attitude issues". The majority
of organizations still involve technical writers at a very late stage in the
SDLC,  getting relevant information is a real pain at times, project
managers often raise the need for one or the other technical document at the
releasing stage, SMEs take their own sweet time to review a
document......the problem areas are enough to make life miserable. However,
I think issues like these are a part of every profession that is still
growing. The best way out I guess is to take this instability as a challenge
and arrive at a process that works the best in the given circumstances.
What is more important is to continue adding new skills. Do things like
writing a book, creating ad copy, learning a new language (you could take on
added responsibility as a translator) etc. In the long run its the skill set
that draws the line between the "idiots" and the leaders. So stay positive,
do your stuff to the best of your abilities and just forget the rest.
(I am really inspired. Friday is here).

On 6/8/07, Emily Berk <emily -at- armadillosoft -dot- com> wrote:

> For the moment, the position I occupy at my current company is "writer of
> the stuff no one else can figure out how to write".
>
> It's not a bad position to be in.
>
> -- Emily
>
> At 12:59 PM 6/7/2007 -0700, Gene Kim-Eng wrote:
> >I would say your situation in this company was the functional equivalent
> >of "you don't have time for me to come up to speed..." except that in
> >your case it apparently ended up becoming your norm (not unusual in
> >the "pool" form of matrix organization).  And you weren't in situations
> where you "understood just about nothing" about the subject matter.
> >
> >Gene Kim-Eng
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message ----- From: "Ned Bedinger" <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>
> >
> >>There's a lesson for tech writing management in this--I don't mind being
> pushed from the plane, but I can't learn to fly in the short time it will
> take me to freefall and crater, so we'll all be happier if you give me a
> parachute. That initial meeting with the project managers was the parachute.
> I'd have been in the spin cycle for weeks on every project without it.
> >
>
> Emily Berk
> http://www.armadillosoft.com
>
>
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