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Maybe I've been lucky as a remote and as an
office-based writer, because SME availability
seems to me to be fiddly but predictable, as in:
"Can't meet next Monday from 3-5PM? When would
be good for you? Sooner is better."
I send that in email with prelimianry interview
material, and I cc the SME's manager, and mine, if
I'm looking for help arranging time with a
reluctant SME. At some point, it becomes the
SME's responsibility to find a way to work with
me.
The big excuses, like the SME feeling it is a
waste of time, have to be eliminated; I prepare
and prepare some more for SME time--when I request
a SME meeting, I send at least an outline showing
the information I need, and if possible a list of
specific issues, topic areas, and questions. I
also send diagrams for the SME to evaluate.
When we meet, I want the SME to say "Your
understanding is incomplete, here's why" or "Yes,
this is right." I get SME respect when I give
them clear goals and targets, then they don't
avoid me so much. I feel like any tech writer
should do this much legwork before an interview,
because it promotes the SME writer relationship
AND produces results. They often keep copies of
this preliminary material, because it is more
conceptual than the requirements they get to work
with.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 11:53 AM
Subject: RE: remote manager credibility (was:
manager credibility)
>
> As a manager, I find that telecommuting can work
very
> well or very badly. Sometimes it depends on the
work
> environment, not so much because writers have to
"meet
> with" SMEs, but because it may often be
necessary to
> literally stalk them through the halls and
corner them
> at lunch when the only way they can escape is to
> abandon a meal.
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