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The powerpoints for a half-hour presentation on how to collaborate successfully. This presentation was based in part on my previous presentation and article, "Coauthoring without Homicide."
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Collaborative Writing in Distributed TeamsJohn Hedtke, Double Tall Consulting
Fellow, Society for Technical Communication
4/8/2014TC Dojo Open Session 1
Speaker BackgroundJohn Hedtke has worked in high tech for
over 30 years and has written documentation and books for many leading software products. John owns and operates Double Tall Consulting, a company that provides writing, consulting, and training services to private and government clients in all fields. He also runs a blog for people who want to become authors at http://tradebookauthor.com.
When not otherwise occupied, John plays the banjo, writes magazine articles, and writes slogans for a button company. John is a Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication and serves on the STC’s Nominating Committee.
What this presentation covers
• Why you should collaborate
• Why you shouldn’t collaborate
• How to collaborate successfully
• Tools and resources
• Summary
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Why you should collaborate
• You need an entry point.
• You don’t have the expertise.
• You’ll learn something watching your teammates.
• You don’t have the time.
• You don’t have the energy.
• The boss says so!
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Why you shouldn’t collaborate
• If you could do it just as well yourself.
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Collaborating successfully
For whatever reason, you’re going to collaborate on a project. Here’s how to do it without friction.
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Plan the work
• Build a comprehensive documentation plan!
– Scope and purpose
– Project description and list of deliverables
– Detailed outline
• Use a strong documentation plan format. You can download a doc plan template here:http://www.hedtke.com/downloads/!blank_doc_plan.doc
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Assign the work
• Attach someone’s name to every task.
– Content sections in the outline
– Reviewing
– Indexing
– Creating online help
– Releasing
– …and so on
• Tasks don’t have to be sequential.
• Make sure every task is covered!4/8/2014 TC Dojo Master Session 8
Do the work
• Get writing!
• Have regular meetings to report progress to each other.
• Keep copies of everything.
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Avoiding problems
Collaborating can lead to incredible friction even under the best of circumstances. Here are some tips on how to avoid on-the-job mayhem.
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Mind your boundaries
• Boundary violations are the single biggest problem.
• Don’t get frisky!
– If you think you can do something better, discuss it.
– Don’t be a cowboy.
• Don’t be surprised if someone else gets frisky.
– Work it out.
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Identify a decision-making process
• Figure out who makes final decisions.
• Resolve as many issues up front as possible.
• Give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
• Play nice!
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Negotiate changes
• Announce changes to one and all.
– Whiteboard
– Group emails
– Wiki
• Be excruciatingly clear.
• Don’t be afraid to swap assignments, but make sure it’s okay with everyone first.
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Tools and resources
Here are suggestions for a few tools and resources that will help you collaborate.
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Tools for collaborating
• A chat client (even if you’re all together).
– Skype is my fave but there are dozens of others
• Reliable email.
• Safe file-sharing.
– FTP
– Versioning software (such as Perforce)
– Don’t use Google fileshare or DropBox
• Use the same software throughout.
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Resources for collaborating
• Documentation plan template and info are at http://tradebookauthor.com
• Book: “Managing Virtual Teams”
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Summary
We’re about done. Here are your takeaways.
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Key points to remember
• Plan what you’re going to do.
• Don’t get frisky.
• Keep in touch with each other.
• Play nice.
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Thank you!
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John HedtkeDouble Tall Consulting2171 Kingfisher WayEugene, OR USA [email protected]
Feel free to email or write if you have questions.
