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Subject:Re: Software documentatio From:Laurie D Mann <lm3k+ -at- ANDREW -dot- CMU -dot- EDU> Date:Mon, 8 Aug 1994 12:46:10 -0400
>Brian Bennett
>At the company where I used to work (one of the top ten independent software
>vendors) the documentation manager made a great deal of noise to get
>documentation involved in the early design of the software. However, once
>the writers were involved, they showed, more often than not, that they had
>absolutely nothing to offer the team. This produced, as far as I'm
>concerned, more negative results than positive.
I used to work for a computer company, and we also pushed for years to
get writers involved earlier. Sometimes it worked well, and sometimes
the writers didn't do the leg-work and didn't get involved adequately.
But I'd say it was more positive than negative. It took more work ont
he writer's part earlier on, but the final product tended to be better.
You're generally correct about "showing them what you know," but it can
take a few months to a year depending on what the product is. Better to
get in early and try to soak up some of the material rather than give up
without even trying.
**Laurie D. Mann, Technical Writer, Carnegie Mellon University**
***lm3k+ -at- andrew -dot- cmu -dot- edu****Pithy saying under deconstruction.***
