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Subject:Re: Typoz in Resumes From:John Fulton <jfulton -at- LSI-DSP -dot- CO -dot- UK> Date:Wed, 26 Feb 1997 09:27:08 +0000
Robert Plamondon said:
>I see no value in requiring perfect self-editing.
>The company's procedures should be such that this skill has no value,
>since self-editing should never be relied upon in the first place.
>Management should never look for extraordinary credentials to solve
problems
>that can be dealt with through simple procedures.
If these "simple procedures" mean paying more money for the
documentation, then they're not so simple in the real world. You're
assuming that management is both rational and willing to increase
budgets: both dangerous assumptions.
Scenario 1: If you have a single writer, get another and have them edit
each other's work. Doubles your documentation costs.
Scenario 2: If you have a group of four writers, get an editor to edit
their work. Increases already-high documentation costs by 25%.
Even though each of these scenarios would result in an increase in the
quality of the documentation, the stumbling block is that one of the most
difficult tasks a manager can face is requesting extra headcount.
If you have an opening for a single writer, you try to recruit a perfect
self-editor (in addition to the other qualities!). If you have an opening
for a writer in a small group, you look for someone who can check over
other writers' work. If you have an opening for a writer in a group which
has an editor, you don't need to worry so much about editing; although,
if their cv is riddled with typoz, you might want to think about the
workload you're placing on your editor!
Regards,
John
| John Fulton |
| Technical Author |
| jfulton -at- lsi-dsp -dot- co -dot- uk |
| +44 (0)1509 634366 |
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