Reviews (was ...Surveys...)

[Ad absurdum per aspera <JTCHEW -at- LBL -dot- GOV>]

In article <199309151919 -dot- AA24912 -at- stevens -dot- unx -dot- sas -dot- com>,
Len Olszewski <saslpo -at- unx -dot- sas -dot- com> wrote:


> After a while, of course, you understand the drill. But it's always a
> little kick in the pants every time you see review comments on one of
> your drafts for the first time.

Ya-ha.  Sometimes Bob Seger's sentiment comes to mind:  "Wish I
didn't know now what I didn't know then."  Nevertheless, here's
what I would tell a novice about reviews.  None of this is rocket
science, but it's nonetheless learned with effort and trauma.

1.  Some reviewers will do a good job spontaneously.  Others
    you'll need to harass; still others you'll need to grab
    for a real-time "walk-through."  Even if reviewing documents
    is part of their job description, they still can't be
    counted on to either enjoy it or take it seriously.

2.  Minimize the number of review loops. If it takes more than
    one or two loops (modulo the number of major changes made
    to the product :), then one or more of three things is
    going wrong:  (2a) the writer is doggin' it in the research/
    writing phase and making too many mistakes, or (2b) the
    subject-matter experts aren't reviewing thoroughly enough
    (see #1), or (2c) somebody doesn't have enough confidence
    in the writers' abilities and is falling into micromanagement.

3.  Minimize the verticality of review loops. When you get more
    than one or two levels above the programmers or engineers or
    whoever else actually spends the day putting a line on paper
    instead of shuffling quarterly projections, you've left most
    of the technical expertise behind; you'll get, at best, a
    "policy review" and should structure your request accordingly.
    Unless, of course, you're trapped in (2c).

4.  Some people are missing the gene that tells them what "draft"
    means.  Deal with this through a combination of being careful
    with the stage and level of quality at which you release for
    review and developing a thick skin.

5.  Be understanding.  You deal with documents, and the review and
    correction thereof, every day.  Your subject-matter expert
    does not, and may in fact be doing it for the first time.  And
    she, like anyone else, will be learning new things about the
    material through the writing process.

Good luck,
Joe
"The pallid pimp of the dead-line/The enervate of the pen" --Robert Service