Re: SMEs and me

[Glen Warner <gdwarner -at- ricochet -dot- net>]

"Sierra Godfrey" <kittenbreath -at- hotbot -dot- com> wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> A few questions:
> 
> How often do SMEs give you their write-up of a manual, or at least 
the 
> information, before you start on your work? Would you say that this 
is a 
> common thing to happen?

It's only happened to me once -- though it wasn't a whole manual, just 
an installation procedure.  Like your SME, he didn't want anything 
changed.

Fixed the typos.  Wanted to verify the procedure with the technicians 
that actually did the procedure -- to see if they found any problems 
with the procedure, or, better yet, if they found any shortcuts, etc.

Alas, the SME wasn't pleased ("Oh, yeah; I meant to warn you about 
that guy," said my mentor), and the lead tech I needed to interview 
was gone for the day, so the manual went out with his installation 
procedure as he wrote it -- minus the typos.

> If you do have experience with SMEs giving you their information in 
what
> they think is a manual (or other output) format, how much liberty do 
you take
> to change it into readable and digestible information (what we all 
are trained
> to do as technical writers)?

"Dammit, Jim, I'm an engineer, not a tech writer!"

If you could only get your SME to say that as a mantra ....

> This goes back to an earlier post about the engineer here infecting 
my mind
> with his propaganda. I ask the questions above because I'm catching 
a lot of
> flack now from him for formatting his information (with much 
addition of my
> own research) into a user manual, different from the way he 
originally wrote.
> it He didn't want anything changed.  

Ordinarily, I'd recommend putting all the blame on "The Style Guide."  
But, if I remember your situation correctly, you're a Lone Techwriter, 
new in the position, and there is no style guide. 

If that's the case, perhaps throwing one together would help.

Even better, since the engineer thinks he's a writer, get his help in 
putting it together.  If you bother him enough about serial commas, 
headers, etc., etc., he'll probably run screaming for the hills! :o)

.... ideally.

(*snip*)

--gdw

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