Re: Writing Corrective Actions for customers?

[Ned Bedinger <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>]

Michael West wrote:
> 
> Cheers,
> Mike
> 
> Michael West
> Technical Communications
> GS - IT
> Connell Wagner Pty Ltd
> 
> Office: 03 8683 1015
> Mobile: 0407 485 228
> 
> 
> Ned Bedinger wrote on 22/04/2008 05:29:45 PM:
> 
> 
>  > [...]The tyrany is in the assumption that calling it a letter makes 
> it just a
>  > letter. Consider, in the litigious States where I live, a major
>  > drive-through fast-food chain was sued royally for serving their coffee
>  > too hot--a hapless motorist got scalded when the coffee spilled on his
>  > shirt, and while no other damage occured, he sued and the jury awarded
>  > big bucks.[...]
> 
> That's why tech communicators have a review and approval process as part 
> of their development cycle. And if litigation is a concern, it would be 
> foolish not to have the correspondence vetted by a company director or 
> legal officer.

My ongoing concern is whether my work will get a thorough review and 
signoff, I think of getting that review as requiring local knowledge (at 
least acquainted with reviewers), considerable finesse, and a well-oiled 
process. Without those majoc ingrediments, reviewers will scatter when 
the subject comes up.

When someone asks how to do a tech writing task requiring sensitve 
knowledge and expertise, the first question I'll have on hand from now 
on is "What's your review process like?" If expertise is modular and can 
be added on, then fantastic, write the hell out of letters or whatever 
the task is.

Mike, You're US citizen??  Damn me if I didn't leap, puzzled but 
certain, that you were in Oz, an Aussie. Your being active late late ion 
the list late late into the night probably is what did it for me--or 
else it was that Ozzie accent in my head when I read your content. 
Amazing what ghets read into the head, my nead.

I'm going to give Melbourne IT a call, see if they can straighten this 
out for me.

Kidding about Melbourne IT,

Ned Bedinger
doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com
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