Re: Justification for hiring and realistic deadline - pls help.

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "SB " <sylvia -dot- braunstein -at- gmail -dot- com>

> How do I get then to become more aware and request that they value the
> documentation more than just "something that must be delivered with the
> product" because it is a requirement?

You can't.  Either they value the documentation or they don't.  
You may be able to nudge them into doing something more to
get the documentation they value, but trying to convince them
the documents are any more valuable than they already think
they are or aren't is an exercise in futility.

> If they hire more technical writers, does this mean that I might possibly
> become a "documentation manager"? If yes, what would this mean?

It could mean anything from being responsible for coordinating
multiple projects to having to actually manage people.

> Can someone help me have a good idea of how to estimate projects? I mean, I
> am trying my best to do everything they want me to but it is just ridiculous
> and I would like to know what should be considered realistic (I have been
> working for 12 years as a technical writer and this is the first time I come
> across such a ridiculous situation. From the desire to prove myself, I have
> moved straight onto slavery).
> 
> How can I bring solid proof with possible literature support that what they
> are requesting is unrealistic? Is there some literature estimating technical
> writing delivery time based on complexity and length? What do you do when
> there is an unrealistic deadline that you can't meet? Just exclude part of
> the features?

If you're not tracking the hours you spend on each of your projects,
you should be.  You need to provide detailed information on how 
many hours you're working, how many hours each project requires 
to complete on schedule and what the shortfall is.  If you're unable
to meet all the deadlines, lay it at their feet to tell you what their
priorities are, and which of your current projects to designate as
the ones to be sacrificed.  Faced with this prospect, they will have
to choose between more resources, fewer documents, less content 
or laying the old "if you can't handle the workload we'll get someone 
else who can" on you (in which case you'll know that your original 
thought about leaving was probably a good one).

Gene Kim-Eng
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