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Subject:Re: How much educating do your 'clients' need? From:Kris Olberg <KJOlberg -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 11 Oct 1995 12:41:05 -0400
In a message dated 95-10-10 08:14:53 EDT, Chet_Ensign%LDS -at- NOTES -dot- WORLDCOM -dot- COM
(Chet Ensign) writes:
>"How fast can I get a manual written?" It has happened to me four or five
>times now, and invariably when I explain what is involved in writing and
producing
>a manual they are dumbfounded. And we end up starting a whole educational
cycle
>all over again.
This raises some of the most interesting (and distressing) issues we face as
tech communicators! It goes straight to the heart of our credibility as tech
communicators.
Education is the key, but it needs to be done at higher levels of management.
The manager in your scenario needed to be educated long ago. This would only
happen if higher management places a priority on documentation issues early
in his or her training with the company. Instead, you have a manager who has
a documentation problem now. Are you making it worse by pointing out that the
doc cycle should have started long ago to be effective? At this point, is
your education considered "value added" or "value taken away"?
My question to the list: How can we work together to educate higher
management on the value we add to projects? Then, can we suggest ways they
can implement that education?
