Need advice on promotion (kind of long)

Subject: Need advice on promotion (kind of long)
From: Jennifer Jelinek <jlkraus -at- AMETEKWATER -dot- COM>
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 08:57:26 -0500

First of all, thanks to those who provided advice about usability...to
those who asked me to summarize, I will do so ASAP.

SEcond...I received a promotion on Friday from lone Tech Writer to
"Supervisor of Creative and technical services," or something of that
nature. Basically, I'm now in charge of the graphics department, which at
the moment includes two graphic designers with another one (hopefully) to
be hired in the coming months. We produce technical manuals, marketing
literature, packaging, customer support materials for water filtration
products. I'm moving from teh tech support dept. to the marketing
department, but I'm retaining my tech writing duties. In addition, I'll now
be in charge primarily of managing workflow, tracking projects from start
to finish, making sure projects are clear and budgeted for when they're
given to graphics, and basically running interference between graphics and
the marketing/sales people. This was really a surprise to me...I was hired
9 months ago out of college, and I've been working since I've been here to
create a better document development process. Apparently, someone liked
what I've been doing, and now I've been given the whole ball of wax. I'm
excited, but a bit apprehensive. One of the two graphic designers has a bit
of a bad attitude...poor work habits, negative about everything, not good
w/ authority. His work is good when he does it, but he's been able to get
away with a lot. For instance, it took him two weeks to make minor
revisions to a PageMaker doc that I could have revised in an hour. THe
other graphic designer does great, conscientious work, but doesn't have a
lot of initiative...which I don't have a problem with; he's great to work
with.

So here are my questions:

1. I get to pick my own title. I'm thinking "Publications
Coordinator/Technical Writer". Any other suggestions?

2. I'm planning to go order JoAnne Hackos' "Managing your Documentation
Projects" at my local bookstore this afternoon; any other suggestions on
must-reads that would help me prepare for this new frontier?

3. Any advice on handling the switch to a supervisory position, especially
in terms of my relations w/ my graphics co-workers? My goal is to work w/
them, not "above" them, to help make the whole doc creation process run
more smoothly.

Thanks,

Jennifer Jelinek
Documentation Coordinator/Tech Writer/ Webmaster
Plymouth Products, Inc.
jlkraus -at- ametekwater -dot- com

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