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Subject:Re: documenting a mess From:Chris Hamilton <cah_91 -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Thu, 11 May 2000 08:04:38 -0700 (PDT)
Kim Forbes wrote:
<Reader's Digest version> I was handed a product
written by a powerful person who should be required
(under penalty of death) to turn in all development
software he owns. What should she do? </Reader's
Digest version>
Take a day or two and identify everything that you
don't know. Given your description, it should be quite
a lot. Then estimate how long it would take you to
find out about each of these things and then how long
it would take to document them, including all the
warnings and notes you have to give users. Then create
a first-pass estimate, adding a substantial (but
justifiable) layer of safety for yourself in case
there are more bodies buried underneath the level of
bodies you know about.
Include a set of assumptions that indicates that you
will have access to the database developer who can
explain all the things on your list. If your
assumption cannot be met, then your estimate will have
to be revised upward as work progresses.
Send this to your manager without even the slightest
hint of frustration. It's just another project. And
when your manager sees that you have a defendable
estimate of 14 months or so, it should (I hope) stop
being your problem.
In the background, you might want to work up a set of
suggestions for this type of development effort with
an indication that it will assist you in creating
documentation more efficiently and getting their
"products" to the masses more quickly. If there's any
irritation, just tell them that you know how busy they
are and this will keep the questions down, or
something like that.
And find someone technical to suggest relational
database training.
And get a speed bag for your garage to retain your sanity.
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