atw: Re: Visibility of documentation efforts
- From: "Warren Lewington" <wjlewington@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 19:38:23 +1100
Companies employ us when they have a box full of jigsaw pieces and no pictures.
We create the pictures and put all the pieces into the place they are meant to
be.
Bosses see they have the pieces. But have no idea there are no pictures.
Staff know they can't put the pieces together because they haven't got the
pictures.
So we could also metaphorically be called bridge builders. But I think the
pieces and jigsaw analogy is closer.
Warren.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Stephen Nason
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 4:03 PM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Visibility of documentation efforts
Hi all, and Merry Christmas.
I'm a bit reluctant to contribute to this thread, not being fully engaged in
tech writing and in the company here of longterm experts.
But the jigsaw analogy worries me and is, I think, seriously flawed. It is
perhaps a good example of why tech writing is not valued by senior management.
It also shows that tech writing is not valued by some tech writers themselves.
Let me explain.
A collection of jumbled jigsaw pieces might be chaotic, but there is certainty
that by following simple procedures a clear picture will emerge at the end. The
picture is preordained and there is no creativity involved in finding it. If
this is how you see your work don't blame the boss if he sees it the same way
too - mere process work that is clever but not critical. Something an app could
do.
In contrast, the end result of a skilled and talented tech writer's work is not
preordained by the materials that are available at the beginning.
There is no manual just waiting to be assembled from the pieces of
informational chaos. The manual must first be created in the mind of the tech
writing and brought into being. No app can do this.
Tech writers need to take more credit for the creativity they bring to their
work. And when they have, they then need to sell it into the boss.
(and so ends my rants for 2014)
Cheers,
Steve
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