Conference 7.286::digital

    re .0:
    
    Aha!  This explains the rapid increase in the number of VPs! :-)

    re: .0
    >>   a company asset is being lost and VPs are generally the guardians
    >> of our assets...
       				...-an asset that we have trained that
    >> decides to leave is a lousy return on assets.
    
    Haven't you heard?  Employees are now considered a liability.
    The new Road to Company Salvation is "outsourcing."  Check what
    is happening in SES/IDC.  As best I can determine, the situation
    is as follows:
    	1. Digital needs technical writers
    	2. Digital's technical writers are eminently qualified to do the
    	   the work they are doing; engineering clients specifically ask
    	   for certain writers to do their work because they know those
    	   writers are dependable and competent.
    	3. Therefore, to better serve its clients SES/IDC is going to 
    	   lay off as many writers as possible, as soon as possible,
    	   and contract out as much outside writing as possible.  In the
    	   ideal situation, all writing will be vended out.  Only design
    	   and project management will remain as "core skills" in Digital.
    	   I'm sure you will agree that Digital's management is one of
    	   its greatest assets, far more valuable than a bunch of mere
    	   writers whose only value is that they know what they're doing.
        4. All the writers laid off by Digital will immediately choose to
    	   be hired by selected outside vendors and will return to work
    	   at Digital, as outside contractors, so none of their expertise
    	   will be lost to the company.  That this is will happen should
    	   be a foregone conclusion obvious to the most casual observer.
        
    I'm sure you can readily see that such a plan is so obviously workable
    it's amazing nobody thought of it years ago.
    
    Of course, it seems to me that in my 25 years of being here I've lived
    through several attempts to implement vaguely similar organizational
    schemes within the company itself, only to have them fail, but perhaps
    I'm getting forgetful in my old age.  This plan, being much more
    ambitious and involving interaction with numerous independent outside 
    companies, is bound to succeed.
    
    I am clearly not management material, but what would happen if:
    	1. The engineering groups hired the writers they need directly.
    	   (I know I'm assuming the engineering groups know better than
    	   SES/IDC management what they need, but perhaps you'll grant
    	   that outrageous assumption just for the sake of argument.)
        2. The writers, in turn, determined what higher-level assistance 
    	   they need to do their jobs (editors, illustrators, inter-group
    	   coordination, etc.) and worked with the engineering groups to 
    	   get those services.  Any people providing services not deemed 
    	   necessary by those actually doing the work would be let go.
    
    The perceived need for services might fade out long before it got to 
    SES/IDC upper management, so my plan is obviously naive and unworkable.

    RE: .2  by LEZAH::WELLCOME 
    
    >Are employees an asset or a liability? 
    
    You bet your asset is.
    

>>  <<< Note 3233.2 by LEZAH::WELLCOME "Steve Wellcome MRO1-1/KL31 Pole HJ33" >>>
>>                  -< Are employees an asset or a liability? >-

>>    	3. Therefore, to better serve its clients SES/IDC is going to 
>>    	   lay off as many writers as possible, as soon as possible,
>>    	   and contract out as much outside writing as possible.  In the
>>    	   ideal situation, all writing will be vended out.  Only design
>>    	   and project management will remain as "core skills" in Digital.
>>    	   I'm sure you will agree that Digital's management is one of
>>    	   its greatest assets, far more valuable than a bunch of mere
>>    	   writers whose only value is that they know what they're doing.

And if the writer on my project gets TFSO'd,  I'll have to slip the
schedule 6 months and hire 2 writers instead of 1 to make up for the
loss of talent and experience.  We're revising 6000 pages for a major
release....

Garry

    
    > I'm sure you can readily see that such a plan is so obviously workable
    > it's amazing nobody thought of it years ago.
    
    They did.  International Systems Engineering successfully outsourced most
    of its technical translation resources over the past few years.

    
    Re .2:
    
    IDC management has for a number of years treated writers as commodity
    items. Writers were seldom left on a product long enough to really learn
    it; nor were they encouraged ot expected to do so. I've seen
    many good writers hobbled by this broken process. It is no suprise that
    IDC management would dismiss writing as a core competency of an
    organization that, in the expectation of every other group in DEC,
    exists to write.
    
    I humbly predict that a number of writers who are cut loose by IDC
    management will become tightly associated with engineering groups (through
    long-term contracts or as DEC employees). They will be given the time
    and the training to understand the products of which they write; in
    some cases, their job will move from "you write what I say with proper
    syntax" or "you transcribe my spec", to "you understand our product and
    our audience, write to them with eloquence and perhaps even some
    individuality, and tell me where you can't explain our product while
    keeping a straight face."
    
    I am sure that this plan will provide long-term benefit to DEC -- though
    not in the way IDC management expected.
    

    
    	In response to the base note, I know at least 2 people in my
    	business unit that left (QUIT! - they were not TFSO'd).  Both
    	were top performers and neither of the 2 were asked why they
    	were leaving.  They were not approached by the VP of our business
    	at all, and in 1 of the cases, Personnel didn't even schedule
    	an exit interview....this person went to Personnel the last
    	day of work only to find out none of this had been done.
    
    	Rules or Policies?  ...don't think it matters in this environment.
    
    	In the case of 1 of the 2, he told me and others that he sort
    	of got cold feet the last week of work at Digital, and had he
    	been asked to stay, he likely would have!  He'd been with Digital
    	14 years and was continual major contributor.
    
    	I guess I'd be curious about the Corporate Policy on this... but 
    	it likely doesn't matter.

    
    	Forgot to say in -.1 that both had been with Digital for 10+
    	years....Digital lost a lot...including the investment in
    	experience and graduate degrees for both.  These people were
    	both in their early to mid-thirties (statement of fact, only,	
    	and not intended to pass judgement on age-based bias!)
    
    	

    re .7
    You may be right that in the current environment maybe some of our VPs
    and HR think it doesn't matter.If so,then they are deadly wrong.Any
    size and any type of business is essentially a people business in the
    final analysis.It would be very shortsighted to think otherwise.
    So far,no notes on what the official policy is or notes from people in
    HR or VPs who have an opinion in the absence of a policy.
    Come out wherever you are!

    Re .5, Colin,
    
>   They did.  International Systems Engineering successfully outsourced most
>   of its technical translation resources over the past few years.
    
    Yes, this was given as an example. SES appears to consider ISE's
    translation outsourcing as a model for what it wants to do with
    technical writing. But translation is much easier to outsource. In fact
    few companies (any?) besides us ever had in-house translators in the
    first place. Typically translation is done by contractors so I don't
    think it's a useful comparison.  
    
    Technical writing is best done as close to the engineers as possible. 
    When I began at Digital as a writer I sat in the Mill, among the
    engineers. Two other writers on the same project sat in Marlboro and
    came to the Mill once a week to gather information, then returned to MR
    to write. They were talented people but it became obvious very quickly
    that residing with the development group was by far the more efficient
    way to write about the product.
    
    Neil

    re .9..
    
    	i'm afraid that from the HR perspective it's futile to attempt to 
    	convince anyone to stay.. the reasons to leave are all too
    compelling and it's no small feat to invent reasons to stay.. for most
    of us it's all too obvious... what's required is clear and concise 
    communication from Bob Palmer as to what the "new" Digital will be and
    unfortunately he doesn't appear to know that just yet.. until this
    happens none of us will be able to make an informed decision as to
    whether or not we stay on or not.. of course this decision may not
    actually be within our direct control to make..it'll all
    depend on what we've been able to sell off and what is left..  all of
    this won't be known until the end of june near as i can
    tell...unfortunately some aren't willing to play the waiting game and
    at  this point one can't blame them... 
    
    I don't believe BP he can tip his hand until certain things are tidied
    up.. but it best not be later than the end of june... he/we have one
    more bullet in the barrel..  this is it folks.. let's hope he gets it 
    right.. i'm pulling for him/us.... 
                       

    I don't think anyone's suggesting that these people be persuaded to
    stay, rather that the data collected when they leave be used in a
    constructive way to help better the Company, and perhaps dissuade other
    "assets" from leaving. Dream on.
    
    Laurie.

    
    My point a few notes back was NOT that anyone should be convinced
    not to leave (that's a detailed I likely could/should have left
    out), but rather, in response to the base note, that any expectation
    of mandatory exit interviews, especially for those with 10+ years
    in the company ("assets") aren't happening, nor does there seem
    to be any interest in such, at least in the case of the 2 people
    I know of.
    
    

    re: .0
    
    Don't be crazy, they want you to quit.  Then they don't have to give
    you a package.

    re.14
    I don't beleive that anyone other than short sighted administrator
    types WANT people to quit.Try running a business when you have no
    people to address the opportunities and try selling services when you
    know that you can't deliver.
    What everyone really wants is VARIABLE costs and not FIXED costs-we
    have fixed costs which are too high and so far the only reactionhas
    been to try to reduce them instead of changing them.
    I have made a suggestion in France on how to do this-we'll see what
    happens.
    In any event,if they don't care than any policies on exit interviews
    should be cancelled for the sake of intellectual honesty if nothing
    else.   

    Just a brief point -- IDC/SES considers not only writers as 'mere'
    commodities, but artists, editors, course developers, and production
    specialists, or release engineers, as well.  [I apologize if I've left out
    any other job category that will also be acquired from an outside
    vendor; the oversight is not intentional.]  I understand that many in
    the engineering community are probably much more familiar with writers 
    than any of the other jobs, and thus the focus on those folks in 
    particular.  'Tis not a problem; just wanted to provide a small amount
    of attention to other TFSO-bound IDC folks.
    
    Other than project, account, resource, or vendor management/coordination 
    type skills, the only 'functional' effort valued sufficiently within 
    IDC/SES (and therefore to be retained as a 'core competency') is 
    information design [and I'm not certain exactly what that term
    encompasses; it may well mean *only* those folks with the title of
    Information Designer].  In addition, my impression is that folks with
    'usability' in their job titles are at least safer than those with any
    of the job titles noted in the first paragraph, but I could be wrong. 
    All of us in IDC/SES are awaiting further announcements of 'beheading'
    decisions.  I imagine very few of us feel in any way safe...typical of
    many Digital employees these days.
    
    Susan
    
    

    re .16 -- Sorry -- "Information Designer" should have been
    "Instructional Designer" -- my apologies.
    
    Susan

    
    
    All PCBU technical writing, illustrating, editing and publishing;
    as well as translations have been outsourced for the last five years.
    Our PC manuals are highly rated by industry analysts and PC Mag editors
    who evaluate PC products. A small team of knowledgable, hard working 
    doc project managers is needed to be successful. It will take IDC 
    time to find the correct balance of in-house writers, off-site writers,
    and project managers to make it work.
    
    It's not easy... but definitely more cost effective.
    
    Gary Beaudreau _who_has_the_grey_hairs_and_balance_sheets_as_proof
    
    
    
    

Curious - does the PCBU have any software products, or is the documentation
being referred to primarily or totally hardware manuals, like installation
guides?
    
    
    

    
    the PCBU has mostly hardware products, but also some internally designed
    software. I do agree that complex software needs to be documented
    by in-house writers.  IDC must find the right balance and
    make the right decisions on what to do in-house vs out-source.
    I'm sure that this is being thought out, but I'm also concerned
    about it's rushed implementation.
    
    gb
    
    

My best friend's husband owns a small software company that uses an independent
writer for their manual.  The writer doesn't sit with the programmers.
	They shiped a new version recently, and my friend says the writer "ended
up with weeks' worth of corrections and two days to do them in."
	What happens to quality in this situation?


Pilar.


PS  --	Just so nobody gets confused (:-) yes, I'm a writer in IDC.  And yes,
	that's a rhetorical question.