atw: Re: Vale technical writing?

Hi Bill

I think I am in almost total agreement with what you've written. Handcrafting 
requires lots of effort to produce the fancy stuff. Automation does not. That's 
the efficiency that I am talking about... better products with less effort.

Where I might disagree is where you say your boss in Houston wants the report 
in Word. He might also want it in a format he can read on his eBook or iPad or 
mobile phone while on a plane or on the toilet.

It's interesting that you mention SOPs, because in my actual talk (not the 
version that Geoffrey divined from the synopsis) I do spend some time talking 
about the role of standards. 

Cheers

Tony


>>> Bill Parker 26/02/12 12:55 PM >>> 
I think Tony Self has no contact with the real world. 

I am dealing with scientists and engineers who need to deliver plain documents 
in Word, and if their readers cannot read them, that's a failure in 
communications straightaway. 

Here's an example. Your firm manages an FPSO. A seriously large converted oil 
tanker that has a drilling rig at one end, a helipad and storage tanks. You are 
in the thick of complex procedures, safety requirements. You write SOPs, you 
write reports from the broken rail to the serious accident. 

Where's the time to get into the fancy stuff when the boss in Houston wants a 
report in Word that he or she can read ASAP? The KEY issue is clear, correct, 
comprehendible writing produced in the quickest way possible. These guys do not 
have time to scratch themselves, and many are FIFOs. And Australia is currently 
dependant on them and their colleagues in ore mining to keep some semblance of 
an economy going. 

Bill

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