Re: how long does "fixing" a document take

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

Carrie Baker wrote:
"Basically, my boss is not a technical writer and does not quite
understand about what we do................


Carrie's observation sure is a universal truth of Technical Writing. If and
when anybody decides to write a book/paper titled something like, "Hard
Facts of Technical Writing",this statement deserves at least one full
chapter to itself.
The majority of bosses are not Technical writers and what is worse, they do
not even make an effort to know more about it. People often come with
preconceived notions about this field, which further complicates the
documentation process. I have been through such situations a few times and
somehow have managed to scrape through each time. However, I am still to
arrive at a definite  answer to this perplexing issue.

Raj


On 6/13/07, Edwin Skau <eddy -dot- skau -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> This sounds to me as if you're writing a manual from scratch and using the
> developer's document as an input. You need to clearly define your work and
> proceed accordingly with the estimate and execution.
>
> Edwin
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 6/11/07, Carrie Baker <carriebak -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> >
> > I am sure that this is a question where the answer is "it depends",
> > but I would like to get a sort of estimate to see if I am in the
> > correct direction.
> > A programmer for whom English is not their mother tongue, wrote an
> > internal document explaining to sales staff how to demonstrate a
> > complex application. (it is not a user guide, but more in the
> > application note direction).
> > The document is around 31 pages long and covers over 20 screens some
> > of which are divided into additional panes etc.
> > I was asked to edit this.
> > Apart from editing, I am running the data he used, with the
> > application to make sure no steps are missed out.
> >
> > All in all, I am fixing the English, adding formatting, (headings,
> > numbers whatever is required), and making sure the whole thing makes
> > sense and works.
> >
> > This seems to be taking me a long time. How long do you think
> > something like this should take??
> > --
> > Carrie Baker
> > carriebak -at- gmail -dot- com
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> Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
> printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
> Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
> True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
> Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
> documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
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Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

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