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Don't fight battles you can't win. Since you already know that the writer of
this document doesn't want it fixed, the Project Manager doesn't want it fixed
(because it blows the deadline), and your own Manager doesn't want to rock the
boat, you have got to move on and let it go. Nothing good will come from
fighting another battle over a badly written document by an SME. If there is
flack over this document with a customer, maybe they'll rethink when and how to
involve you in the writing process for such documents.
In my opinion, you don't do yourself any good continuing to fight for the right
against the Philistines. This would be a good time to just let it go and stick
to the work before you. You'll get ulcers worrying about things you can't
control.
Tom Murrell
--- "Carnall, Jane" <Jane -dot- Carnall -at- compaq -dot- com> wrote:
> About six weeks ago I posted a query "Reviewing <ptui>" and got several
> helpful and supportive replies. This month...
>
> The same developer has produced for a contractual document something that he
> says is the final version. (The deadline is end-of-day tomorrow.) There are
> multiple egregious errors that can, and will, be corrected in time. But the
> whole thing is full of the familiar convoluted sentences and occasionally
> downright confusing punctuation (or lack of it). I have another deadline for
> a related project end-of-day Thursday, and a bunch of stuff that has to get
> done for *that*.
>
> I feel this document ought to be revised/reviewed, but I feel proposing this
> is certain to get flack - from the developer, who thinks he's done a
> satisfactory job, from the project manager, who will point out that time is
> pressing, from my departmental manager, who will just say "draw a line under
> it". (And from my non-work self, who has a lot to do this week and doesn't
> especially want to stay here till 9pm fixing this document.) I'm just tired
> of the whole thing, yet this document makes my teeth itch.
>
> The problem is that the document is very technical. If I could get the
> developer's time for an hour to go through it and check exactly what he
> meant to write, then revise it, then have him review the changed sections,
> it would be greatly improved. (Even, I add with clenched teeth, if he
> *didn't* review the changed sections.)
>
> Hand it over with the errors corrected.
> Hand it over with sections flagged for revision.
> Third option...?
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