Re: assessing a lone-writer gig

["Pro TechWriter" <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Hi Sydney:

Being a lone writer at a company that is transitioning from "small" to
"medium-sized," here are some things I have asked about, and would ask that
I didn't.


   - How is this job classified (professional or administrative). (If
   it's administrative, ..run, do not walk, away from this job!)
   - What tools do you use now? Can I choose tools? Is there a budget for
   tools? Can I use open source tools if there is little to no budget? Are
   there any restrictions against downloading and testing trial versions of
   software, if I need to.
   - How has the documentation (if any) been produced up to now?
   Distributed? Who owns it? Will I "own" the documentation now?
   - Who has the final say about documentation quality (templates, look
   and feel, editing, language, standards)? (This is VERY important!)
   - Will anyone be able to change my documents? Tell me to use other
   language? Edit my work? Send out documentation without consulting me? (This
   one is a "lessons learned" for me. It matters, believe me.)
   - How is the production schedule set for documentation? Who do I give
   my estimates and time lines to? How are those communicated to the
   development teams? Is there a master schedule? If so, can I provide the
   documentation project schedule to be added to the master schedule?
   - I have a documentation life cycle process that I follow. What is the
   best way to educate others in the company about this process.

These comments are based on my experience in situations like yours. I think
the biggest issue I have had is the lack of control over the documentation
that I am creating, and being perceived as some sort of secretarial person
who types things.

That's all I can think of for now. Others have provided some pretty good
comments that I don't want to repeat.

I hope this helps!
Cordially,

PT





On 6/21/07, Sydney Compson <sydney -dot- compson -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> hi there,
> --
> PT
> pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com
> I'm a Technical Technical Writer!
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