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Subject:RE: ratio of devs to writers From:"Walden Miller" <wmiller -at- vidiom -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Fri, 11 Mar 2005 09:27:29 -0700
Bill wrote:
Pages of documentation is irrelevent. It's all to do with the
complexity of the products and what info needs to be delivered to
users of those products. Product design also has a lot to do with it.
The better the design, the less of a need for writers. You'll never
hit "absolute zero", but you can get pretty low.
It also depends on what writers are expected to produce.
...
Walden writes:
The expected production is the only issue. Design can be great, but if you
are writing docs for how to write plug-ins, the expectations are different
that writing how to use the product that can accept plug-ins, etc., etc.
The other variable that plays havoc with most ratios is the ability of the
writers. I have writers that can shell out user manuals very very quickly
because they've done it a zillion times. They are also very technically
adept (read/write code, etc.) so they usually don't get bogged down on
poorly defined interfaces, processes on how to use the tools, etc. On the
other hand, I have had many writers start as junior writers and the speed is
not there. Some senior writers are also slow but steady. Faster on some
types of projects, slower on others, etc., etc.
Teams also make a difference. Some writer/engineer combos work better than
others. Complicating this issue is that often you have no control over the
combinations.
So, don't rely on ratios (as bill pointed out). Rely on available talent
and understanding your available talent. Good Management help too :)
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