TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Testing to Ensure Accuracy of Inform From:"D. Citron" <dcitron -at- GATE -dot- NET> Date:Sun, 31 Jul 1994 17:10:44 GMT
Previous posting:
: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
: How do you resolve this dilemma in your situations? Do you feel it's your
: responsibility to test everything, or do you feel it's not your job to check
: up on everything you're told -- that if someone gave you wrong information
: it's
: their fault and not yours? I try to test everything I can while still
: meeting
: deadlines, but I always feel uneasy sending something out that I haven't
: verified, because I know it'll come back to me as a documentation bug,
: regardless of whether I got it from a spec that was wrong.
I test and verify wherever possible, but it is not always applicable.
Some of the information received from programmers is not verifiable, because
I am not a programmer, and don't have access to the code -- or wouldn't
understand it. However, I make it clear to clients that technical review
for accuracy is THEIR responsibility.
David H. Citron .................................... dcitron -at- gate -dot- net
Tech Writer/Journalist/Copywriter -- Contract/Freelance/Telecommuting
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| Can you trust a government that subsidizes tobacco and tries to |
| ban vitamins to make intelligent choices about YOUR health care? |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" ... Benjamin Franklin