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Subject:documentation seminar alternative From:Miki Magyar <MDM0857 -at- MCDATA -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 5 Mar 1998 14:01:12 -0700
Warren, you have a real problem, and it's one a lot of us have had to deal with. Sympathies! However, I agree with the posters who caution against the seminar format. Consider what your end goal is - to change their atitude and behavior about documentation tasks they have to do. Consider the mind set and work habits of your audience. The one thing they can't refuse is an appeal to their opinions and expertise. So I suggest you use a survey to elicit their opnions about how to improve the doc process. In setting the context, you can flow-chart the current process (they like charts and graphs) and suggest what you think are the problem areas and what you are proposing. It's always easier to comment on an existing thing than to create it from scratch. You could pass it out and then have a 'brainstorming session' to discuss options.
In other words, give what you'd like to get. Turn it around - if they were trying to make you understand the code development process, would you rather comment on the obvious flaws in the existing process, or listen to someone lecture you on how tough their job is and how they're not appreciated? Let's save the (perceived) whining for fellow techwhirlers - we know enough to understand and sympathize.
Whatever you try, let us know how it works out. We share your pain <g>!
