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<<Unless I can persuade his project manager to convince him to give some
more
of his time to reviewing the document (which is unlikely, we're on a very
tight deadline), I see no real alternative but to return the text in those
sections to his original>>
My recommendation would be to ask for a sign-off from the SME. He can either
review the changes or not. (Although maybe it's too late for that this
time.) To avoid errors, I usually try to get as much of an understanding of
the topic as I can by researching on my own (working with the product,
searching the web, etc.) and then asking questions.
For example, if there is a convoluted section, I usually try to talk to the
SME in person, and state my understanding of the section - if I'm wrong,
they'll let me know. This usually takes only a few minutes of their time,
and seems like chatting. It also points out to them why the section would be
confusing the way they have it worded, in a nice way. (e.g. "Did you mean x
or y?")
I'm probably lucky to work with a group of very helpful SMEs, who don't mind
answering my questions, so I guess this tactic wouldn't work everywhere. But
here, the SMEs seem all too eager to expound on what they do. <g> They don't
like reading, reviewing, and writing, but they do like talking.
Melanie Shook
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