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Subject:Re: Ranking Criteria for Writers From:Gary Robinson <Robinson -at- COMINC -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 22 Oct 1998 15:59:30 -0400
Hello All,
I know that the compartmentalization of people and their skills is a
popular past-time in the business world but I really don't see the
advantage in doing so, except to take the pressure off of some manager
who knows and cares little about the technical writing profession.
People should be promoted and rewarded based on their skills and
performance. In my experience titles mean little to writers and
categorized positions do not eliminate abuses or increase productivity.
I feel the same way about certification. Certification may have its
uses, it certainly is useful when facing unknowledgeable HR officers,
but it rarely, if ever, corrects abuses in the system and seldom keeps
the Bozos out of the profession.
A short story from real life, just in case you feel that ranking writers
might end some abuses you've witnessed. Several years ago, while
practicing another profession, I worked on a project with several other
people. The president of the company for which we worked routinely
mandated questionable practices which we thought were, at least,
ethically dubious. Our solution was to join the professional
organization that governed our profession and certified its
practitioners. That organization had (and has) a strict code of
conduct. We felt that this would protect us from having to perform
actions that we thought were unethical. We could argue that it
jeopardized our certification. While we were applying for certification
we learned that the president was a high-ranking official in the
certifying organization! We spent the remainder of the project gritting
our collective teeth and trying to avoid the worst abuses of
professional practice.
Regards,
Gary G. Robinson, Technical Writer
COM, Inc. An Enprotech Company
7300 W. Huron River Drive
Dexter, MI 48130
734-426-7000 x20 734-426-7004 fax
robinson -at- cominc -dot- com
Usual disclaimers apply
-----Original Message-----
From: cyd dunning [SMTP:c_dunning -at- HOTMAIL -dot- COM]
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 1998 12:42 PM
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject: Ranking Criteria for Writers
Hi all,
Here's a question for managers or others involved in the review
process
for writers within an organization. We are a small, but growing,
writers' group. Our organization is young, but it is becoming
apparent
that we need to set growth standards for writers of different
levels. We
would like to establish some measurable criteria for ranking
writers.
"Years of service" might be one criterion, but beyond that, what
types
of measurable standards do you set in your organization to
quantify
achievement and set goals for growth and salary increases?
For instance, what achievable guidelines might be designated for
positions such as the following:
Associate (or Junior) Writer
Technical Writer I (What other titles
Technical Writer II might be used here?)
Senior Writer
I'd appreciate any feedback. Please email directly to me (I am
on digest
mode), and I will summarize for the group.
