Re: Tech writers and engineers

[martin -dot- smith -at- golehtek -dot- com]

We're not necessarily doomed to another "non-technical writer"
thread. As difficult as it often is to gain access to technical
personnel, not to mention to earn their respect and be treated
as an equal, the issue might better be framed as "how to actively
participate in technical meetings." I would argue that writers
would be in a much better position if they understood the
technology well enough to make valid contributions in these types
of meetings. 

Obtaining this level of understanding is difficult, but not
impossible. As writers we are in a good position to help draft
and maintain design specifications. We can also become better
integrated with engineering if we assume some responsibility for
defect tracking and reporting and functional testing.

Performing functional tests is an excellent way to simultaneously
perform validation testing on the documentation, not to mention
gather information about what needs to be documented.

In this economy especially, I am always looking for ways to 
add to the skills that I can bring to the table. Has anyone
read job adds for programmers recently and realized that
preparing printed and on-line documentation is increasingly
the responsibility of the programmers.

Martin R. Smith

----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.