Re: The Golden Ratio 75/25

["Andrea Brundt" <andrea_w_brundt -at- hotmail -dot- com>]

Andrew wrote: "The 75% time spent researching does not mean you are only
learning and not
writing. Some of us are capable of learning and writing simultaneously. Or
discussing a concept with a person, learning it, then going back and writing
up
a description of it all in the same day."

I agree. In the absence of a well-written specification, the logic behind an
end-user interface or an API sometimes crystallizes only when I try to write
it.  Tthe line between writing and learning is fuzzy and not too useful
(like a teady bear, I suppose).

At the many software companies I've worked for, writing has almost always
been a mystery to managers. A manager might understand software development,
testing, or even sales, but a solid grasp of what a documentation project
entails is a rare thing. I'm not singing the blues; this is just the nature
of doing some kinds of specialized work. But it's all the more reason to
develop your project management skills -- they help you communicate what you
do to the people who need to know.

When planning a project, do factor in your learning curve, and use it a a
weighting factor in your estimate, but don't dwell on where learning stops
and writing begins. It's a red herring, and (here's my point) it can be a
dangerous one. A shortsighted manager can easily see 75% of your time as
non-productive overhead...fat that can and should be cut.

An extreme example: My company has determined that a particular component of
the product is sorely lacking in documentation. There are experts in the
company, but I'm not one of them. I've expressed a keen interest in
learning, but my boss sees "writing" and "knowing" as such distinct tasks
that she is trying to find a way for me to write the documentation without
investing in the knowledge transfer -- essentially, she's said "we need you
to write this, but there's no time for you to become an expert." Someone,
somewhere, told her that one can write what one does not know. It's an
extreme example, but illustrates the danger in separating writing from
subject matter knowledge.

Perhaps I should turn up my speakers and play a recording of someone typing
75wpm.

Just to keep the hounds at bay.

Best regards,
Andrea



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