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10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 1
Growing Your Tech Pubs Group
Rebecca FirestoneSenior Technical WriterZep Solar, Inc.
North Bay CommunicatorsOctober 14, 2014
The Question
• How do you know when your
group needs to grow?
• How do you make it happen?
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 2
Lone Writer
Zep Solar’s Products
• Hardware, simple mechanical installation
• Patented PV mounting solutions
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 3
InterlockPart No. 850-1388
Leveling FootPart No. 850-1397
Ground ZepPart No. 850-1172
Scaling Up Fast
• 4 solutions in 2012 to 8+ solutions in 2014
• All kinds of drivers
• Acquired by SolarCity
– Delivery of power
– Quick turnaround on everything
• I didn’t know what would be coming up next
• But it would be fast when it got there
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 4
Invasion of the Bean Counters
• How long does it take?
• Why can’t you just do it faster?
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 5
I had to educate people.
9 months
4.5 months
4.5 months
9 months total…No problem, right?
Double your output without adding resources!!
Informed Client is Vitally Important
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 6
• Example: Someone wants to commission an architect to design and
build a custom home
– Permitting, construction, design process
– Inexperienced clients meddle, withhold, miss deadlines
• A good client knows
– When to push and challenge
– When to accept a situation as it is
– When to intervene and change course
It’s Not Just Workhours
• Workhours
• Calendar days
• % allocated
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 7
What else, besides workhours, factors in?
Well, let’s look at my work logs…
• Not how long it SHOULD take
• How long it DID take
• Actual start and end dates
• Various activities, interactions,
dependencies, wild goose chases,
and other “forgotten” factors
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 8
Start With Historical Data
But, Don’t Try to Explain Yourself Too Much
• It only leads to trouble
• Makes you look defensive
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 9
Couldn’t Control My Own
Work Schedule
• New task comes in
• Schedule’s already full
• Can’t postpone anything
• Can’t scope down, either
• Everything’s top priority NOW
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 10
May
New Task
My Biggest Problem
A Dysfunctional Situation
• Elicits a dysfunctional response
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 11
Coping Strategies
• Jump off bridge
• Drop the ball
• Pick directives at random
• Do a poor job
• Take to strong drink
• Run away and join a circus
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 12
I Asked the Experts
• Tech Pubs managers
• Reams of good advice
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 13
… A mystic Horseman’s Word?
Engineer – Writer Ratio
• Ideal is 6:1
• More commonly 8:1
• Actual is 13:1 or even 17:1
• Some places it’s a lot higher
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 14
Zep – 30:1
SolarCity – 5000 employees, 0 writersIncreasing Ratio
Increasing Ratio
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 15
Products and Markets
• Product Lines
• Market Segments
• International Markets
• Key Relationships
• Audience Segmentation
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 16
Deliverables
• Number, complexity, media, formats
• Sheer volume
• Frequent release cycles
• Quality level of each
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 17
1-2 Hours Per Finished Page
Tie To Company Mission
• “Own the Roof…”
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 18
irobot mission statement
Executive-Level Champion
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 19
REQUIRED
Myth of Infinite Multitasking
• It’s not just workhours
• It’s continuity of attention
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 20
5-minute projects only!
Perfect Processes Don’t Run Themselves
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 21
So, What Actually Worked?
• Eliminating pet projects
• Back-channel mentoring
• Going to other departments
• What would you do if…?
• Do we still *need* documentation?
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 22
Really scary to ask this one…
What would YOU do in my shoes…?
Is there something I’m not seeing here…?
What Would Happen If…
…we stopped writing manuals altogether?
– Products won’t get UL certified
– Permits could be rejected
– Jurisdictions may not accept Zep Solar products
– Projects may fail site inspection
– Our warranty states “per written instructions”
– Can’t wow new partners, whoever they might be
– People using my content would have to make their own
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 23
Would The World Stop Turning?
• Well, it might – but not right away
• Things will seem OK – for a while
• Some time may elapse
• Other factors may be at work
• Hard to tie a situation 6 months from now solely to a lack
of documentation today
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 24
What if I Got Hit By A Bus Tomorrow?
• If people don’t think it’s a crisis
• Maybe you’re not that vital to the organization
• A moment of truth
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 25
Take a good hard look in the mirror
Outcome
• They saw the light
• Entry-level position created
• I’d found someone at
STC-Berkeley
• Candidate “auditioned” before joining
• It’s still working!
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 26
Candidate did some Zep fan-boy
artwork
I did, too
Thanks!
10/14/2014 ©2014 Confidential 27