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Subject:Re: Worthless Tech Comm Degrees From:"Anthony Markatos" <tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Fri, 24 Mar 2000 12:20:20 PST
Tony Markatos says:
What should a Tech Comm program teach? Hackos/Redish write about how
usability is based on gaining a clear understanding of end-user goals. But
they do not quantify (at least to my knowledge) how importance such an
understanding is - in order to put it into its proper persepective.
Hackos/Redish get many of their insites from Yourdon/DeMarco (of Structured
Systems Analysis fame). In particular, End-user Goals (per Hackos/Redish) =
Essential System Functions (per Yourdon/DeMarco).
When I went through the Yourdon courses on Structured Systems Analysis, the
instructors emphasized that ninty-eight percent (98%) of the required work
in any systems [documentation] project is gaining an understanding of the
essential system functions and how all of those functions interrelate.
At work I have always found such to be true, whether I am developing
software requirements specifications (I sometimes work as a Systems Analyst)
or end-user documentation (I sometimes work as a TW).
So then, ninty-eight (98%) percent of the required work in any TW project is
gaining a clear understanding of the end-users goals. This should be the
key principle upon which all Tech Comm programs are based. Few, if any,
are.
Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)
Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)
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