"Design" was Re: Tech Writing a Growing Field?

[Ned Bedinger]

Gene Kim-Eng wrote:
> One of the strongest reasons I've observed (and the most valid, IMO)
> is the fear that once they document their requirements, processes,
> schedules, etc., some pointy-headed, bean-counting manager is going
> to come along and impale them if they don't follow it all to the letter.
> In one company I worked with, the development team documented its
> project schedules in detail, but concealed the schedules because they
> knew that if a certain member of the company's board of directors
> got hold of it they would find themselves being grilled on why a 
> particular task took them *six* days to complete when the MS
> Project Gantt chart said it was going to take *five.*


It would be funny if it wasn't so irritating to have such 
uncomprehending oversight. In a perfect world, the bean-counters and 
executives would have to come up through the ranks, so they would know 
how work works. What methodology can fix that, I wonder.