Re: Playing Politics

Subject: Re: Playing Politics
From: Marci Abels <mabels -at- SKYJACKINC -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 09:00:50 -0500

Absolutely Tony. I think that saying Tech writers don't have to get involved in 'turf wars' is at least a bit simplistic, if not nai. We have to balance the need for the user to know against the need of some SMEs to insist that the information is useless to anyone but the SME, or the need for internal resources for a department that is often seen as a cost center, rather than a profit center. We also have to juggle the often opposing opinions of two SMEs on one subject, or decide when to go with text, graphics, or both, or how to deal with a SME who just knows he/she has a better grasp on grammar then we do, or any number of issues that are strictly political. It's just a fact of life.

Marci Abels
Technical Writer, Skyjack, Inc.
http://www.skyjackinc.com/frame.html


Anthony Markatos wrote:

To put it bluntly, the planners and contollers within an organization
are often so turf-concious that, unless the analyst is very
politically savy, he / she will be "eaten alive".

Elna Tymes said:

Most of what technical writers do.....has little relevance to turf
and therefore to politics, and a great deal more to do with the very
simple 'how does this work?' types of explanations.

Tony Markatos responds:

I disagree (again). First of all, the question that needs to be
asked is "WHAT does this do?" not "HOW does this work?" Effective
end user documentation is always focused on the WHAT.

For complex systems, getting a clear, concise, integrated
understanding of the tasks accomplished (i.e., understanding of the
WHAT)is VERY difficult. The WHAT translates to mean "essential
procedures accomplished". And since knowledge of procedure is turf,
getting the WHAT involves incroachment upon turf.

Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)


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