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Subject:Re: Blurring the line between writer and engineer From:Lois Patterson <loisrpatterson -at- gmail -dot- com> To:techwr-l <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 14 Dec 2015 16:43:44 -0800
Certainly this can happen readily enough when front-end web design is part
of the design of both the product and the documentation. We have code
review processes in place, so everyone who wants to know can do so.
Lois Patterson
On Mon, Dec 14, 2015 at 4:33 PM, Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:
> Never.
>
> In every manufacturing environment I've ever worked in, engineering
> changes have had to go through an ECO process that required sign-offs by
> design, manufacturing, safety, quality, etc., before they could be
> approved, and nobody - including the engineers - would have the authority
> to make changes or make promises to anyone that changes would be made. You
> could initiate a "customer request" change proposal that would kick off
> the ECO process, but anyone working with the customer in the field
> (engineer, service tech, marketing rep or, yes, technical writer) could do
> that.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
>
> On 12/14/2015 3:41 PM, Rick Lippincott wrote:
>
>>
>> In some previous jobs, though, I've found myself in a position
>> (typically while on some sort of hardware trial out in the field)
>> where the customer has said "In order for us to sign off on this, we
>> need you to mark up the changes to the engineering drawing here, and
>> give us your assurance that these changes will be incorporated." (This
>> has lead to a couple of interesting conversations on my return where
>> I've had to go to engineers and say "Well, I made a couple of changes
>> in your design, and here they are...and no, you don't have any choice
>> but to accept them.")
>>
>> Two questions, just out of curiosity:
>>
>> * For hardware tech writers (especially large "heavy metal" writers),
>> do you find that you're doing this...frequently? Rarely? Ever?
>>
>
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