RE: writing quality

Subject: RE: writing quality
From: KMcLauchlan -at- chrysalis-its -dot- com
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 14:30:09 -0500

Ah, youngster, perhaps it is too early to reveal the
awful truth but...

... there IS no "real" world.

I've been out here for years, and it's all still
disturbingly unreal.

But as to your question, only the most esoteric corners
of this, our collective unreality, have ever played host
to <shudder, cringe> protocol analyses.

All seriousness aside, what *we* do is:

- somebody asks for it
- Kevin tells 'em to "make that official if you want it this year"
- "somebody" sends an official-looking e-mail, or actually gets
the required document named in a project doc
- Kevin writes it, drawing heavily on local expertise, as well
as making lots of it up, out of thin air
- the Builds group (all two of 'em) create a "nearly-final" CD
of the software
- Product Verification weenies take that CD (or its image), along
with the nearly-released hardware and run through their
test cases -- one of which is to follow Kevin's manuals in
naive fashion
- Kevin re-works the manuals, incorporating all the unkind
remarks from the PV weenies
- semi-final draft gets waived in front of prod/proj mangler,
who may rubber-stamp or who may pore over with micron-toothed comb
- Kevin re-re-works, as appropriate
- "final" draft gets dumped in front of PV manager, who races through
it, while displaying an uncanny knack for spotting glitches, but
before she finishes, somebody announces that there's a last-minute
product change, and can I take out/add in just this little thingie?
- Kevin... re-re-re...
- flurry of rubber-stampings
- BOOT! (sound of product, including manuals being booted out the door)

Feeling disillusioned yet? Well, I'll try again later, then. :-)

/k

> -----Original Message-----
> From: TSilvergirl -at- aol -dot- com [mailto:TSilvergirl -at- aol -dot- com]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2001 1:20 PM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Re: writing quality
>
>
> What about a protocol analysis? I admit I'm only a lowly
> student, but this
> is standard in my tech writing classes----is this not the
> case in the "real"
> world?
>
> Christy Turner Pintagro
>

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