The Power of Peers

Thu, 07/29/2010 - 09:55 • Categories: • by Miriam

This week, Tech-Tav sponsored our largest Israeli Author-it Users Group meeting to date. The day before the meeting, registration was complete, food was ordered, presentations tweaked and the supplies were packed up and ready to go. More than 50 technical writers from cities around the country were all coming to hear about upcoming product features and news from the latest build that I was to be presenting.

But the small tickle in my throat that I had been trying to ignore grew noticeably more irritating and my fever spiked. A rapid strep test confirmed that I was indeed infected with strep throat, was contagious and would be in no condition to get out of bed in less than 24 hours, let alone travel and give my presentation.

From a management perspective, it was really, really difficult to make the decision to be absent from my own event rather than cancel it. But because I have confidence in my employees and a network of peers that I know well, I was confident that people would teach and learn from one another. At 10PM, I was able to turn over the reins at a moment’s notice so that the show could go on.

We sponsor these free meetings because, in my opinion, better informed and trained writers benefit everyone: the writers themselves, their customers/employers and the end users who read our documentation. And that just makes good sense for our profession as a whole and for our business. Even though the agenda had to be shifted around and new presentations added at the very last minute, I was hopeful that the peer learning and sharing that was bound to take place would be of great value.

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It Pays to Outsource (Part 3)

Thu, 07/15/2010 - 12:53 • Categories: Outsourcing, Tech-Tav Technical Writing Blog • by Miriam

It has been a super-busy week for new contracts, new writers, placements and deadlines (not to mention the summer camp that is currently taking place in my house, but that’s another whole story). So you’ll please forgive me for not posting this sooner. And now, without further delay, welcome to Part 3 on why it pays to outsource.

In Part 2, I made the following claim: “Outsourcers appreciate the flexibility that their work provides, and they don’t expect the usual perks of full-time employees such as lunch, travel or paid leave.”

A member of my Documentation and Technical Writing Management group on LinkedIn commented in response, “…outsourcing doesn't make the burden of ‘perks’ vanish, though it might seem that way. The burden is simply transferred to a vendor, who, in turn, will surely factor the perks into the billing rate.”

Kumar, I would suggest that if you are paying the same or more for your outsourcer as you would for an in-house writer of the same caliber, then it’s time to start looking for a new outsourcing company. In Israel, where most of our writers are located, employers pay a base salary plus an additional 37% for social benefits. Without going into all the math, it should suffice to say that my hourly rate doesn’t even come close.

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It Pays to Outsource (Part 2)

Mon, 07/05/2010 - 09:17 • Categories: Outsourcing, Tech-Tav Technical Writing Blog • by Miriam

I didn’t mention it last time, but this is going to be a three-part-series. I already covered some of the great reasons to outsource your technical writing in my previous post, mainly focusing on how the peak-and-valley nature of the workflow in hi-tech lends itself to outsourcing. Now let’s talk agility and experience.

Picture it, if you will…a lone technical writer (or even a team), full-time, in-house. Spending 188 hours a month sitting at the same desk, working with the same SMEs and managers, documenting the same technology. Day after day, year in and year out. Yawn.

From the perspective of the employee (as the commenters from last week pointed out), the benefits of outsourcing are many: flexible schedule, pick and choose your projects, be your own boss, gain exposure to a wide array of new technologies, writers, writing and management styles…the list goes on and on. Looking at things from the employers side, the view is just as attractive.

Outsourcing your technical writing means more to you as a manager than just “pay your technical writer for the hours she works and not one minute more.” You also get the added benefit of a writer who, by the nature of her work as an outsourcer, is constantly exposed to a wide variety of new and changing technologies, management styles, applications, authoring environments and fresh ideas. During your downtime, the outsouced writer can easily work for 5 or 10 other customers in the course of a year. She brings back to you a breadth of experience that simply could not be gained by sitting in the same company at the same desk year-round.

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