Re: HELP! Negativity towards the techwhirler!

["M. Dannenberg" <midannen -at- SI -dot- BOSCH -dot- DE>]

Jennifer Kraus wrote:

> I'm encountering some negativity towards technical writing at work,
> and I'm looking for advice/opinions about the situation.

<snip>

Jennifer,

I think you're right on track with your suggestions and ideas and you've
figured out exactly what has to be done in your situation. I can
imagine, though, that your management sees documentation as some kind of
afterthought, where quality is a lower priority than cost and getting
the thing out of the door on time.

You're probably in for a bit of a fight and I wish you all the best. In
my opinion it's worthwhile jumping right in, though, and making sure
your voice gets heard and and your suggestions get implemented. Believe
me, any kind of trouble you get into now will save you a lot of aggro in
the future. Once people come to respect you and accept your competence,
things will generally get easier.

Having said that, try not to be too controversial about it. You could
find some compromise, like implementing the changes gradually , maybe
spread out over a couple of product releases, rather than going for a
complete overhaul (something all management types hate like the plague)
right away.

Good luck,

Mike

Mike Dannenberg
ETAS GmbH & Co.KG
midannen -at- si -dot- bosch -dot- de

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