Documenting Common Knowledge
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How do you nicely tell your boss, no I am not going to document something? Lately I have been getting request to document things I shouldn't have to document.
For Example: How to install windows, How to install a driver, how to do basic windows tasks, etc.
Thoughts?
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You do as the boss asks. Or rip it from technet
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As much as it pains me to say - if the boss asks, you do (unless it's illegal). Plain and simple.
As for how you document, write yourself or rip from the internet - that's up to you.
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@Dashrender Im the boss in my team...If my lot disagreed they would say so and if they can put together a valid argument I respect them more...
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@tobywells said:
@Dashrender Im the boss in my team...If my lot disagreed they would say so and if they can put together a valid argument I respect them more...
Agreed. but a boss asking for such trivial documentation, if in fact this is what he's asking for, will more than likely not be reasoned with.
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@Hubtech or taken out the back and lectured to with a cattle prod by their team;-)
@aaron-studer It might be worth turning it on its head, by that I mean pointing out that unless you can prove your documentation is the irrefutable source of all knowledge its never going to be referred to in that way. We already have a source of (nearly) all knowledge its called google-fu -
It's one thing to discuss the purpose of the documentation and perhaps get the request dropped, but that's not what @aaron-studer asked for. He wanted a nice way to tell his boss No.
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Maybe your boss is afraid something is gong to go amiss, maybe bad expiriences in the past? Do as he asks or try and reason with him, not right then, but when he is in a good mood.#
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@Aaron-Studer I never document common knowledge. I only make sure I keep the help documents (PDF's) that come with software and hardware (or even just a link to the online documentation). The only things I document are special configurations related to a process in my environment or special considerations.
Easy way if the boss is requesting it from you would be to go on the internet, and just print stuff out from TechNet or wherever.
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@Hubtech said:
@tobywells said:
@Dashrender Im the boss in my team...If my lot disagreed they would say so and if they can put together a valid argument I respect them more...
Agreed. but a boss asking for such trivial documentation, if in fact this is what he's asking for, will more than likely not be reasoned with.
Very true. The nature of unreasonable requests is that they tend to come from unreasonable people.
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@tobywells said:
It might be worth turning it on its head, by that I mean pointing out that unless you can prove your documentation is the irrefutable source of all knowledge its never going to be referred to in that way. We already have a source of (nearly) all knowledge its called google-fu
If logic prevails then this is a good approach.
