Re: Developer wants to take over documentation

[Sella Rush <SellaR -at- APPTECHSYS -dot- COM>]

John, I have a couple of comments:

First I'd talk to these people and find out why they want to do
this--why does the developer who brought the subject up want to take it
on, *and* why some others agreed--there may be different motivations
involved.  Is this all documentation in general or just for a specific
project?  Do they maybe really just want more input?  Or are there
specific frustrations you can address?  Maybe there's a budget
constraint?  Whatever information you gather will help you frame your
presentation.

Depending on what you find out, they may just not have a clue what you
do, and simply need a demonstration of what is entailed--learning new
software, nuts and bolts of production--and how much time it will take
away from development.  Lots of people on this list talk about the
difficulty in letting others in their company know what their value
is--do you think your situation may give you an opportunity to do that?

My personal circumstance was almost the opposite--I came in to a group
used to doing their own documentation and all other writing.  It took me
a little time to get them to give it up.  Now, although I still haven't
achieved autonomy with some developers (they still like to determine
content and have the final say--which I'm discovering isn't always a bad
thing), others have handed the whole task over with relief.

>----------
>From:  Wilcox, John (Contractor)[SMTP:wilcoxj -at- WDNI -dot- COM]
>Sent:  Tuesday, April 29, 1997 2:02 PM
>To:    TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject:       Developer wants to take over documentation
>
>Have any of you ever encountered a developer who wanted to take over the
>documentation?  It's just happened to me for the first time in my 11
>years as a TW.  And when he brought it up, a few others said they would
>like to, too.  Basically, it looks like I might have to teach developers
>the idiosyncrasies of publishing, with Word no less!!!!!  Any advice
>will be greatly appreciated.  I have to make a presentation Friday.
>

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