OT: Very OT, but not really...,

[Allen Schaaf <soundbyte@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Fellow Tech Writer,

This is not about jobs, or how-to's but about another key factor in our 
success as technical writers; our relationships with those we work with and 
those who we report to. This is a brief survey that I hope you will take 
the time to respond to.

Please reply directly to me to keep the list clutter to the minimum, unless 
you think the questions I ask or your answers might spark a general 
interest thread that would help us all.

You can answer as tersely or verbosely as you are inclined.  All input is 
most welcome for this project.

1. What are the most important tasks a tech writer does?

2. Who are the key people a tech writer needs to interact with to do a 
great job on a project?

3. Who are the people you need contact with but never get or never get 
enough to do your job the way you think it ought to be done?

4. Who are the people who most frequently get in the way of doing your job 
the way you think it should be done?

5. What are the things they do that hinder you?

6. If you could change one thing in the dynamic of your current or past 
workplaces, what would it be?

7. What one thing can you identify that has helped you the most in your 
current or past workplaces?

8. When you are finished with a project, what are the most common things 
you wish you had been able to spend more time on if the deadline wasn't 
hanging over you?

9. What makes a good technical document good?

10. What did I leave out that you think should have been asked?

Thanks a whole lot for your input and time. If you wish, I will provide a 
summary of the answers, just mention it in your response.


Allen Schaaf
Sr. Tech Writer
Currently looking for work.

Who says bad manuals aren't a risk to your life?  Just ask the passengers 
of the jet where the engine caught fire because the company's maintenance 
manual was wrong about how to install one key bolt.  (NTSB Report on GE CF6 
engine fire, American Airlines flight 574, July 9, 1998. 
<http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1999/AAB9903.htm>)


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