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RE: The Documentation Being Put Through Qual Assistance Process
Subject:RE: The Documentation Being Put Through Qual Assistance Process From:"Ron Hearn" <RHearn -at- cucbc -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 5 Sep 2006 13:36:19 -0700
I've worked under QA twice in my career for different companies and it
just didn't work for me. The last time, I headed for the exit. Each time
the problem was the manager who, like in Agnes' situation, knew nothing
about documentation. Even worse was an attitude toward documentation
that it is a low-level, quasi-secretarial function so there is no reason
that deadlines can't be met nor can there be the smallest error even on
a rough draft. As a lone writer, I have to rely on others' eyes to catch
the things that get past me. I've always found being under Development
works best in that I have easier access to the developers and I'm not
seen as an outsider. Having said that, I don't mind having QA review my
documents as part of the QA cycle. In fact, ideally the documentation
should drive QA, but usually doesn't
Ron
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+rhearn=cucbc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+rhearn=cucbc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of Dan Goldstein
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 12:15 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: The Documentation Being Put Through Qual Assistance Process
Documentation shouldn't be "under" QA, but they should stick close
together. A lot of basic QA comes back to the aphorism: "Say what you
do, and then do what you say." Of course, "Say what you do" means
"Document what you do."
The real problem lies in Agnes' final paragraph:
My new boss is a QA person and knows little to nothing
about documentation. His only way of judging me is
whether or not a deadline is met. His only way of
judging the documentation is whether we can make it
fewer topics so that we have less to maintain and if
we can shorten the topics. Nothing is about how well
things are explained and developed for the user. It
is like his whole orientation is from a QA standpoint
and my new hat just feels like it is very production
and QA oriented.
It's as if QA were to decide that the best machines are the ones with
the fewest and the shortest bolts!
Agnes should draft the initial standards for judging documentation, and
the Help desk and other service personnel should validate those
standards. The more real-world user context that the budget can afford,
the better.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joe Malin
> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 1:37 PM
> To: Agnes Starr; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: The Documentation Being Put Through Qual
> Assistance Process
>
> I think it's unusual that they put documentation under QA. I'm
> disappointed that they're forcing you to adopt the QA process with
> seemingly no reason...
>
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