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Subject:Re: Managing expectations From:Shlomo Ramon <ramsol -at- NETVISION -dot- NET -dot- IL> Date:Sun, 12 Oct 1997 21:37:30 +0200
In my view, since at least in this country (Israel) our profession came
into being recently, the industry management only begins to understand
the importance of our contribution. I would not like to get off topic,
but what sparked the need to recognize us as profession, was the rapid
transfer of technology in the wake of French (and rest of Europe's)
embargo after of the 6 day war in 1967. Could not be done without
massive transfusion of all types of documentation.
Without rechewing this subject, probably off topic too, the result was
that management became aware of the necessity - first step towards
recognition. If we leap 30 years ahead to present era, the forces
driving an enterprise are, as they teach in first day of any management
school "make a profit or go away". Every CEO knows today that to sell
his widgets he must provide some shape of documentation - from
decorative bag to pack his chips to elaborate set of documents for jet
transport. Yet, while being aware of this, when it comes to cutting
costs, documentation is among first victims.
Why? Because it is tough to get across the concept that appropriate
documentation must be made part and parcel of product planning and
development from womb to recycling (or as I a purist might say a from
gleam in the eye till resurrection).
I believe that it is our task, if we wish the profession to come out of
the shadows, to spend at least a part of the effort we do to learn the
ever more complex tools of our trade, to educate the management.
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