What is Hard Work?

["Anthony Markatos" <tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com>]

Question for all: What is hard work?

Some Technical Writers say "Forget defined processes -- I get things done by 
'hard work'".

My opinion:

Einstein said, "Never confuse motion with action".  It is difficult for me 
to believe that Einstein was never involved in a software 
development/documentation project!

Typical development/documentation project: Coders banging away at their CRT 
hour-after-hour (when they are not reading programming books).  Technical 
writers often following suit.  Management loves it; after all, everybody is 
working through lunch and putting in plenty of OT.

Working real hard - right?  Wrong!  This is hacking: a very 
obsessive/compulsive, one-sided, activity that always results in poor 
quality product.

Hard work is doing tough analysis work and then switching mental gears to 
effectively communicate with other developers and the end users.

Note: As a very wise manager once told me, 'switching mental gears' is the 
main reason we resist defined processes.  Defined processes prompt us to 'to 
what needs to be done'.  And for most people 'switching gears' to 'do what 
needs to be done' is just 'to much'.

Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com