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>Gene Kim-Eng said:
>>Jim Barrow wrote:
>>
>>So how does one go from flying solo to flying in formation?
>
>How "new" are the hires?
Writer A started last Tuesday. Writer B starts tomorrow.
>Experienced writers or wet-behind-the-ears entry-level?
Writer A caught on to the dynamics of the project very quickly and was able
to finish a process flow task I began some months ago. Writer B is the
golden child and impressed me during the interview to the point that my ego
was threatened ;^)
>Do you have to teach them how to *be* tech writers, or just figure out how
to do a >brain dump of what you know about your current work-in-progress?
The latter.
>I like Sharon's advice about shadowing for a week for experienced
personnel. For >newbies, maybe more like a month, plus you'll be losing a
lot of their time to training >in other areas (like how to use your tools).
We shouldn't acknowledge Sharon since I do, in fact, owe her dinner :^) But
yes, she was right on target and I am going to follow her advice. As for
tools, our department is pretty much in the Stone Age. We're an MS Office
house. Heck, when I asked about online help, management responded with,
"Online what?"
"Online help. The help system that guides our users."
[blank stares]
"Um...what do our users do if they have a question about an application?"
"Er...call someone?"
>What do you have in the way of documented processes and style guides? If
>nothing, you've still got about 18 hours, so hop to it. :)
Hehehe...that's the first thing I did when I got there.
>This also a good object lesson about keeping projct notes and logs. If you
haven't >been doing this it's too late, of course, but have the new hires do
it so you can sit >down with them as you transition project work to them and
review their work, if for no >other reason that that it will help you track
what you've handed over to them.
Hmmm...I have *my* comments from the meetings I've attended as well as
papers detailing *why* certain paths were chosen (one vendor over another,
one application over another, etc.). Is that what you're referring to?
>>Tech writers, as well as the type of project that we've undertaken, is new
to our >>management. They believe that a) tech writers are nothing more
than scribes and >>b) 50-page use cases should be completed in a few hours.
The fact that poor >>management has stalled the project for nine months is
irrelevant. It simply means >>that the tech writers will have to type
300wpm.
>
>Did you know this before you took this job?
Nope. As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!"
>>That's what they did to me. "Hi Jim, here's the link to the shared drive.
I think >>there's information out there that will explain what we're working
on. Good luck."
>
>Hmmm, how much corporate culture kool-aid have you been drinking that
continuing >this practice is even a thought?
Were I an employee in your fiefdom, this wouldn't be expected. But I have
been slowly changing policies and practices so that it doesn't happen again.
But I'm only one man, and there's only 37 hours in a day ;^)
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