Reviewers who don't review

[Edgar D' Souza]

On 8/1/06, Siliconwriter <siliconwriter at comcast.net> wrote:
> A couple of weeks ago I created a quick start guide for our users,
> sent it around for review, got signatures, and sent it through our
> Document Control process, which garnered more reviews and more
> signatures.

> I had no access to this
> software while writing the guide, and relied on our field reps to
> give me the information, then later to review it. Nobody mentioned
> that the user ID and password had been changed.

>I was told by the head of tech support (my main
> reviewer) that he never looks at the documents he's sent to review,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but:
1. Your company has a "process" to ensure technical accuracy of documentation.
2. You followed this process and had to rely on it since you had no
access to the software.
3. None of the people who knew about the UID/password change cared to
notify you.
4. Other people, whoever they were, presumably had access to the
software, should have reviewed the guide and caught the error. They
didn't, but they signed off on the doc as being technically accurate.

For the life of me I can't see how or why you're to blame. A paranoid
person would have been screaming "conspiracy" at this point...
My view is that you weren't hired to bully work out of other people;
why the heck are they drawing a salary? And what happened to
responsibility? They signed off on the doc as being correct, they are
the ones who should suffer for their failure (and it is THEIR
failure!).

In your place, I would be talking with senior manager(s), stating that
the responsibility for the error lies squarely with those who had
access to the software, and signed off on the doc as technically
accurate. The fact that they didn't review the doc indicates that
either the review process is broken, or the reviewers are! Either way,
it should be fixed - perhaps by replacing those laggards with people
who actually work for their pay.

Regards,
Ed.