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Subject:Getting reviews from reviewers From:geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA Date:Wed, 12 Nov 1997 14:34:06 -0600
cjacobs -at- us -dot- oracle -dot- com, which is surely as odd a given name
as any I've encountered, asked for suggestions on getting
good reviews from reviewers. I'd suggest that rather than
producing yet another memo that nobody will read, you work
on the other loose ends in the review process:
1. Get buy-in from the reviewers; get management to lean on
them if necessary. Do this in person: talk to the
reviewers, develop a good relationship with them so that
you don't just surface at review time, and do little favors
so they look upon your appearance with pleasure, not dread.
2. Give reviewers small, digestible chunks to review; it's
easy to do a good review of 5 pages, and damn near
impossible to review an entire manual effectively.
3. Give them a quality product to review. If you clean up
all the grammar and style problems before they see the
material, they'll be able to concentrate on the review, not
the writing. They will still play with your wording, but at
least it will be a minor part of the review.
At the risk of oversimplifying, I've found two very
different types of reviewer. Type 1 is excellent, thorough,
and diligent, and doesn't need a guide to doing reviews.
Type 2 hates reading anything and won't do a good job no
matter what guidelines you provide... but will sit with you
and answer questions for as long as it takes, but only if
you ask the questions rather than providing them in
writing. (Fortunately, I've yet to meet Type 3, who won't
do a review under any circumstances.) Type 2 will take more
time to do the reviews, and more coaxing, but the results
should still be fine.
--Geoff Hart @8^) geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.
