RE: Reviewers who don't review

["Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com>]

I see. Isn't the product manager going to be interested in a defective
product being delivered to customers? Are you saying that the tech support
manager is untouchable?


Bonnie Granat
http://www.GranatEdit.com
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gene Kim-Eng [mailto:techwr -at- genek -dot- com] 
> Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 7:18 PM
> To: Bonnie Granat; 'Siliconwriter'; 'TECHWR-L List'
> Subject: Re: Reviewers who don't review
> 
> What I am suggesting is not so much "agreeing" to the other
> person's terms as beating him over the head with them.
> 
> Unfortunately, the reality of life, especially in this romper room
> we call Silicon Valley, is that as tech writers and publications
> managers we do not get to define the job requirements of other
> developers and most especially other managers, but are often
> still held accountable if we are unable to secure their participation
> some way or another.  Hence the common advice you see about
> doing things like bribing engineers with candy and cookies.
> This is the stick to that carrot.  Taking the recalcitrant person
> at his word and doing what he suggested, to whatever over-the-
> top extremes are necessary to achieve the results he claims it
> will yield, is sometimes the only thing one can do to make a dent
> in an otherwise rock-hard skull.
> 
> However, I have also worked in environments where publicly
> calling the schmuck in question a schmuck as John suggested
> and talking to him as if he really was the child whose behavior he
> is emulating can also work.  You just have to know where you are
> and what kind of response your company's culture calls for and
> accepts.
> 
> Gene Kim-Eng
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com>
> 
> > Of course you cannot ensure people won't behave 
> outrageously. That's not 
> > the
> > point really.
> >
> > I think agreeing to the person's terms is not a good idea. 
> The writer is
> > kept from productive work and babysitting someone who 
> should be able to
> > perform his job without supervision.
> >
> > Perhaps if his job performance requirements included, in 
> writing, the
> > accuracy of the documentation, he would pay some attention. 
> It is *his* 
> > job
> > that needs to performed right, and if I am the technical 
> writer's manager, 
> > I
> > do *not* want her babysitting a grown man who needs to be 
> financially
> > motivated to perform his job.
> 
> 
> 


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