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Subject:Re: Starting a documentation team From:"Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 22 Oct 2003 12:32:59 -0700
The first thing I'd do is determine how I intend to structure the group
functionally. Will you use tech writers who both research and write
*and* do the production work (editing, formatting, indexing, etc.), or
will you have writers with specialized technical backgrounds and the
ability to recognize user needs and research and organize information
and support them with editing and DTP personnel (my choice would
be the latter, but it depends on how complex your technology is and
how "nontechnical" a tech writer you can get away with). With this
plan in hand, you can determine whether your writers need to be both
technically adept and DTP experts (tough to find even in these times)
or if you can recruit people with technical expertise and good writing
(as opposed to typing and DTP) skills and let nonexempt/contractor
DTP operators worry about the margin settings. The numbers of each
and their skill levels and compensation will be fairly easy to determine
from your project workload and market surveys (it's much easier to
find prevailing wage figures for a biologist and a DTP operator and to
evaluate their skills in their specialties than it is to find the same info
and make the same judgements for a single person with a biology
degree and experience *and* X years of FM). Odds are you'll also get
better candidates for both positions as well.
Gene Kim-Eng
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol Gilbert" <cgilbert -at- cal -dot- berkeley -dot- edu>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Cc: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 8:29 AM
Subject: Re: Starting a documentation team
>
> On Tuesday, October 21, 2003, at 11:48 PM, Dharuni Garikapaty wrote:
>
> > As a result of a long-winding appraisal interview and discussions, I
> > am now
> > being given the opportunity to start (recruit, train, and manage) a
> > team of
> > 4-5 Technical Writers. I am being given the freedom to choose/decide on
> > experience levels, numbers of people, recommend remuneration packages,
> > training, etc.
> > <snip>
> > I would like to know the considerations, training requirements (for
> > self),
> > challenges, or any other information/ ideas anyone may have.
---
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