RE: Information gathering.....

Subject: RE: Information gathering.....
From: "Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
To: <Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com>, <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:16:49 -0400

HI Brian,

Thanks for the info; however, the products are a lot more than software.
They are "micro-electromechanical" manufacturing systems that use
pneumatics, hydraulics, electronics, and a little magic to manufacture end
products from multiple wafers. Did I mention that there's a robot or two
involved too?

I gave my manager my report and my opinions. If he wants video...we'll shoot
video at my going video rate. If he wants me to juggle wafers while I'm
shooting the video...so be it, at my video juggling rate.

You gets what you pays for.... In the meantime, I just finished a manual in
16 hours based on my original production plan, something that could not be
done if we had incorporated video.

Life is too short to let them get you down.

Al Geist
Technical Communicator, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9190
Cell: 802-578-3964
E-mail: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also:
Fine Art Photography
Website: www.geistimages.com

"...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a pilgrim
without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold each
day." (Sy Safransky)


-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+al -dot- geist=geistassociates -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+al -dot- geist=geistassociates -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 6:53 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Information gathering.....

So your department head thinks that video will be more efficient than
design docs?

Okay, so your engineer creates a new widget for your app, then videos
himself describing it. You get the video, then watch it. All your
questions are answered! Well, not likely. Even then, you'll have
questions, right? Are you allowed to ask questions, then? What if the
audio is faulty in spots and you miss a word or two? What if the
engineer rambles, turning a 10-minute video into 30 minutes? Is video
more efficient than the written word, for you? Will video save time for
YOU? Who will create these videos? Where will they be stored? How will
you retrieve them (on a share? Through email?) Who will determine what
information is included? You're building an entirely new business
process here, so you should consider ALL the consequences.

Your engineers should be writing design documents for everything they
build. If these docs are well-formed, you should have no trouble getting
started and building a list of good questions. If you compile a list of
questions before meeting with your engineer (instead of bothering him
with every ten minutes with a new question), your engineers should be
able to handle a few minutes of your time. If you are having trouble,
it's because this process is breaking down, not because you need video.

I also suspect you are not involved in the software design process from
the beginning...which you should be.

I don't know the answer to your situation, but video is not it. You
should be fine with design docs...if you're not, then part of THAT
process should be improved before you add new processes. If you don't
have design docs and your manager is intent on changing your processes
because he doesn't understand tech pubs, then maybe you should consider
other opportunities...

That's my 2 cents, anyway.

Brian Gause

Technical Writer


-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+gause_brian=emc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+gause_brian=emc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Tom Johnson
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 12:44 PM
To: Al Geist
Cc: TECHWR-L'
Subject: Re: Information gathering.....

I once ran into a business analyst who said he implemented a technique
like
this at his former company and it worked extremely well. I blogged
briefly
about the idea here: http://tinyurl.com/5e4v88.

Tom




On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 2:32 PM, Al Geist
<al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>wrote:

> HI all,
>
>
>
> I'm in a typical situation..my writing staff has been reduced by half,
the
> project load has grown and the deadlines are shrinking. (Sound
familiar?)
> My
> department head has decided that the problems with us falling behind
is
> because our information gathering is inefficient. (He has never worked
as a
> technical writer and views technical publications as a necessary evil
> rather
> than a valued component of the company's products.) The department
head is
> pushing for us to incorporate video taping into the information
gathering
> process. His idea is to have the engineers videotape the
setup/alignment
> process so we won't have to bother them with questions. Those same
> engineers
> would discuss the various components making up the systems. (These
systems
> use pneumatics, hydraulics, and electronics to align and bond silicon
> wafers
> and are extremely precise.) We would take the tapes and write the
books.
> Reviews would be accomplished by training as they train the field
service
> staff. (How they would know what is correct or what is and error was
not
> part of his proposal.)
>
>
>
> Prior to my arrival at this company, the "lone technical writer"
worked
> part-time and did litter more than stuff material written by the
engineers
> into a Word template and shoved it out the door. There was no review
of the
> material. The result was garbage. I have worked hard to move the
> publications beyond those dark days to a professional level and do not
want
> to go backwards. (I should add that our company is going through a
change
> in
> management and board of directors. It is a subsidiary of a German
> corporation. We have a new CFO who is in cost cutting mode and is only
> looking at bottom line. My Department Head is a long-time employee,
but in
> a
> new position. He wants to look good.)
>
>
>
> Has anyone had experience incorporating video in the information
gathering
> process for technical publications? How did it work for you (or did it
> work)? Did it vastly improve efficiency, or was the development time
about
> the same? If you used video, what did you have to do to ensure the
> information you got was worthwhile?
>
>
>
> Any and all help/information on this subject will be gladly accepted.
>
>
>
> That bottle of Rare Vos is looking pretty good right about now.
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Al Geist
>
> Technical Communicator, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
>
> Office/Msg: 802-872-9190
>
> Cell: 802-578-3964
>
> Website: www.geistassociates.com
>
> See Also:
>
> Fine Art Photography
>
> Website: www.geistimages.com
>
>
>
> "...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a
pilgrim
> without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold
each
> day." (Sy Safransky)
>
>
>
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References:
Re: Information gathering.....: From: Tom Johnson
RE: Information gathering.....: From: Gause_Brian

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