Re: Reluctant SMEs (Was Re: Education and Productivity)

[Barb Philbrick <caslonsvcs -at- IBM -dot- NET>]

>The problem with _making stuff up_ is that it could wind up in the
>final document.  <snip>  When I have to make a guess as to how
>something works, I flag that section of the draft with
>revision bars or a comment in large, bold print. 

Tom has a great comment. I use footnotes with a comment like, "Make
sure this is correct," or even, "I made this up. Is it even remotely
correct?"

In general, I've found that footnotes work better than any other form
of markup. My SMEs have consistently answered more of my questions
when I put them in footnotes than when I bold, italicize, highlight,
or otherwise mark up the text. I'm not sure why, but if it works, I
stick with it.

In my Frame projects, I make the footnotes conditional, so I can turn
off conditional text and be confident that I haven't included anything
dumb in the final. This has also worked nicely for a low-volume manual
that I typically can't revise as well as I'd like to. I add footnote
comments on sections that I know are problematic but don't have the $$
or time to change. Next time around, I might be able to pick up the
changes. (It's also stress-relief - I hate putting out a faulty
product, but I'm not getting paid to make it perfect. The fact that I
won't lose a comment and might get it fixed down the line helps
massage that little raw spot that sends out guilt pangs.)

Barb
Barbara Philbrick, Caslon Services Inc.

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