Re: need advice from contractor (fwd)

[Donald Le Vie <dlevie -at- VLINE -dot- NET>]

Just pray that the knot in that noose is properly placed on your neck when
they open the trap door from under you....

...If you've already exhausted all your avenues (pleaded with dept. heads,
team members, management), then count down the number of days until this
contract is over with...if you got the job through an agency, I'd be on the
phone today telling them that the project is in jeopardy and what you need
to save it; If you got this job as an independent contractor, now you know
what to insist upon for the next contract...Based on the level of detail
you've provided, I don't see much else you can do...other than insist to the
appropriate levels of having access to people/information you require.

Same thing happened to me on a 6-month contract...the little details that I
should have known about were conveniently left out of the early
negotiations, and consequently, I dreaded going to the job every day just 3
weeks into the project and knowing I was going to be there for another 5+
months.  When the 6 months were up, they absolutely needed me to continue
working on the documentation (a large database management/reporting
application that was to be installed in 560 health clinics across the state)
for another 3 months. I agreed to do so but I more than doubled my hourly
rate, to which they agreed without batting an eyelash...so I took some
solice in that (but I was still happy when that contract was over with).

Good luck,
Donn Le Vie
Integrated Concepts, Inc.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Anonymous Poster [SMTP:anonfwd -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM]
> Sent: Thursday, July 15, 1999 7:46 PM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      FWD: need advice from contractor (fwd)
>
> Gang,
>
> I started a project May 26 as lone contract tech writer with this major
> client
> (here at national hqtrs) where they are building a new software system for
> some
> of the administrative bookeepers.  The team here consists of 4 business
> analysts, project leader, manager, and other assorted systems people, and
> the
> outside systems vendor, (Sapient), along with some assorted end-users in
> the
> background.  Aside from the vendor, I am the only contractor.   My part in
> this
> project has been totally frustrating, from the start.
>
> They expect me to write HTML Help files (though the vendor is compiling.
> I just
> write Word docs for screens.) That's their last priority.   Also, they
> want me
> to update their procedures, with the new changes with the new system.
> They also
> want me to write the training doc for the training sessions, though I
> myself
> will not train.  All this, should be finished, when the system is "live"
> on Sept
> 6.
>
> I just FINALLY found the deadlines yesterday.  The first two weeks, I had
> no
> company ID, network ID, etc.  A month after I began, the user testing
> sessions
> allowed me into the 'mix', where I finally got to see the tool they're
> building.
> Now the business analysts, who are 6 floors away from me (I'm isolated
> about as
> much as possible), are reluctant to give me information about the actual
> procedures.  They also have decided that they should arrange meetings with
> the
> end users and me.  I asked email questions about the procedures, and they
> balked, thinking that I'm asking them to document,  and my role is just to
> re-type.
>
> I'm at the end of my rope--any suggestions?
>
>
> From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=
> =
>


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