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Re: Documentation teams transmogrifying into Training teams?
Subject:Re: Documentation teams transmogrifying into Training teams? From:surfer_924 -at- earthlink -dot- net To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 13 Nov 2002 13:06:32 -0700
Karen O.wrote:
> After watching it happen twice in different teams, I'm wondering if this happens more often to other documentation departments.
> It goes roughly like this:
> 1. A nice docu department exists. Creates manuals and other necessary basic documentation. Often they also write training material, but there's always a struggle between training and required documentation.
> 2. Someone comes along who decides that "We must do more training!!!" (There are usually exclamation points and PowerPoint presentations involved) Then a tension builds up on the resources, since there are generally no more resources assigned.
> 3. The doc team struggles along, torn between training and required documentation, until someone with passion decides that training is either
> a) not getting enough attention
> b) could be a profit center (in contrast to manuals which are generally a cost center)
> 4. Then someone gets the bright idea to change the group, divide the group or create a totally separate training department.
> 5. That works for a while. Hopefully the two departments have reached an amicable agreement on how to divide up content and leverage each other's work.
> 6. Eventually something breaks down: either one department collapses from lack of support or resources, or the need for a strong emphasis on training goes away.
> 7. Eventually the two groups merge again, hopefully wiser. The end stage is pretty much stage 1.
>
> What irks me is that often the people leading the effort don't realize it's been tried before, and try to learn something from it. It ends up being a big peak of Chicken Little crying "We're going to lose customers if we don't do this IMMEDIATELY!!!"
>
> I think this is the normal way of things. Is it what you've experienced?
>
Yes, in my last job. Replace "Training" with "Marketing" in step 1.
through 5. I left after five so I don't know what happened next.
Sounds like someone just came back from a management seminar.
Surfer_924
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