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If you have had any experience with peer reviews, please read on.
I am a technical writer in a publications and training department; we are
currently looking at conducting peer reviews and are seeking input from people
outside the company. We would like to hear how others conduct peer reviews
within a similar environment.
Our department consists of the following types of people:
Managers
Instructors
Writers
Editors
Illustrators
Video Technicians
Programmers
Usability Engineer
As you can see by the list, our department consists of a wide variety of people
who have very different tasks. This makes the practice of conducting peer
reviews somewhat difficult. The types of things that we are considering are:
* How are peer reviews conducted?
Verbally, face to face?
Written forms (surveys)?
* What criteria is considered?
* How often are the reviews conducted?
* Who receives the peer review information?
Managers or the reviewed individual?
* What happens to the information once it is received?
Is it used for performance reviews and salary actions?
Is it purely for the individual's benefit?
* Do the people conducting the peer reviews need any training?
* Who gets to review who?
* How are all the different job functions handled?
* Are people outside the department (i.e. a technical contact)
allowed to have input on a peer review?
If you have any input on any of these items, please e-mail me at the
e-mail address listed below and/or post to this list. If you can't comment
on any of the above issues, but have positive or negative feedback regarding
peer reviews, please feel free to respond. We are in the initial research
phase of this plan and any information would be valuable.
Thank you in advance for any input that you can provide.
Sincerely,
Kris A. Trierweiler kat -at- pandora -dot- cray -dot- com
Engineering Writer 715-726-5464
Cray Research, Inc.
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
