Re: Peer Review Process/Best Practices

["heidi arnold" <heidi -dot- w -dot- arnold -at- gmail -dot- com>]

jill,

i mean to be gentle but the process you describe sounds so far from a
professional working corporate team that it is more like a church council or
PTA meeting where people go to hang out but it doesnt really matter if
anything gets done or when or how

in that case people who have real business concerns are off working
somewhere else with other people

i would take a stony, critical look at this and either find another job or
else do some uncompromising reform, unless the PTA sociality is critical and
then you are where you are

myself, i WOULD refuse to work with that kind of incompetence

just my 2 cents

heidi


On 2/26/08, Jill Mohan <jillemo -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> This question may provoke only laughter - BUT, here goes...
>
> Is there anybody out there using a slightly formalized process for getting
> documents reviewed prior to delivery? If you are, can you share some best
> practices?
>
> Here is what we do currently - perhaps you could find remedies for glaring
> errors?
>
> Current state is -
>
>   1. I send out a doc to a mixed team of talent and suits.
>   2. Get silence for weeks.
>   3. I work the charm offensive going desk-to-desk asking for feedback
>   on areas that match expertise of desk's occupant.
>   4. Trickle of feedback comes in from the charmed.
>   5. I incorporate that feedback and recirculate the doc.
>   6. Another few days of silence.
>   7. Deadline gets moved up on system's delivery.
>   8. Team asks for another copy of the doc.
>   9. Various members demand changes to the system's interface or
>   functionality due to things they hadn't noticed until they read said
>   document.
>   10. Engineers get the changes made.
>   11. Suit suddenly appears and makes changes to "formalize" the crap
>   out of a user's guide.
>   12. I try to aggregate five to six different reviewer's notes -
>   deciding on importance and relevance.
>
> Thanks much,
> Jill Mohan
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-- 
www.heidiarnold.org
www.vesperwilderness.blogspot.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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