Maruthi Prasanna

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Shrink the line between the branches of Writing

- September 12, 2021

There are several branches in Technical Writing. Some Technical Writers work in R&D and created technical documents. Some Technical Writers work with marketing and deliver product datasheets, brochures, and other marketing manuals. Some of the Technical Writers work on the e-Learning side and develop learning content for the product. A technical document can also serve as learning material and marketing material if it covers the end-to-end scenario of using the product or a product feature. It must try to cover all the use cases with some real-life examples. People want to scan through technical manuals rather than read them. Task-based writing and applying the principles of information mapping certainly helps in the same, but the document is less effective the bulkier it is. Users will find it harder to look for the information, and the information scattered here and there without any emphasis on the usage scenarios will not help either. Though you have comprehensive document

The No Jerk Rule

- September 04, 2021

Be quick in identifying the people who spoil a workplace and find a way around them to survive in an organization. They are the people who try to make other people worthless. They consider themselves superior and everyone else inferior to them. They never hesitate to backbite and make negative remarks about others. They do damage to the company but quite often go undetected for a long time. They pretend to work 24x7 and pretend to be concerned about work like no one else does, and they create fake emergencies and generate huge volumes of unnecessary work. Victims of bullies/jerks lose their creativity and problem-solving skills and indulge in laborious mechanical tasks as a reprieve. People spend more hours in the office, but productivity lags. People will be afraid of asking questions, fearing retaliation and ridicule. Very soon, the work environment turns toxic. Jerks create and promote many people who are like them and gradually establish total grip. They weed out all those who

Instinct vs. plan

- September 04, 2021

Why do some people fail even after working very hard? I believe they follow their instinct than follow a plan or reason. Unplanned tasks take substantially longer to accomplish than the planned tasks. You are among the overworked lot if you have worked on a couple of ad-hoc/on-the-fly jobs in a day, and the stress from it can affect several days to come. You will work at a sustained pace and still accomplish more if you are working on planned tasks. Unplanned tasks can throw your day off gear. You will be in firefighter mode in the house on fire parlance; the house is on fire, and you are trying very hard to put off the fire. You end up suffering some damage even if you can put off the fire. The fire can kill the person trying to put off the fire. Unplanned tasks are the real cause of job stress and burnout. Roughly ten years ago, a new revolution started sweeping across the software industry. A lot of product companies started implementing Agile methodology. The touted new idea i

More effective team meetings

- September 01, 2021

For years and years, I have attended countless number idle team meetings. Sometimes they happen to be recurring meetings without a clear agenda. Generally, I carried a notebook and pencil for the team meeting, and most members did the same as not doing so will look impolite. Someone asked to take the meeting notes will ping the members even after the meeting to help recount the discussion. It is harder to timebox a discussion and measure the outcomes this way. A good plan will make the meeting more effective. It also helps maintain the focus. Identify what you need to do before, during, and after the meeting. The one conducting the meeting should track the tasks against each person in an Excel spreadsheet or a Confluence page. Mark the progress of the tasks during the meeting with inputs from the members. If we need to discuss individual contributions, we can have a PowerPoint presentation with one slide for each member. The same approach can work for discussing new updates and fe

Tap peoples potential by sincere appreciation

- August 23, 2021

Recently I watched the 2021 Bollywood movie, Shershaah. The movie tells the story of Capt. Vikram Batra. He fought and sacrificed his life in the Kargil war. He is a recipient of Parama Veera Chakra, the highest gallantry award. What can make someone go for the death run charging at the enemy? Capt. Vikram Batra was in the prime of his youth. He had loving parents and a devoted girlfriend. He was a successful army officer at a very young age. The noble instincts of a human and the yearning to achieve can be even dearer than life. Every human being wants to feel appreciated, and it is among the strongest of all human needs. Every leader and manager must note that we can inspire people and tap their potential by giving sincere appreciation. Title image courtesy by anonymous internet source. The Kargil heights sit majestically on the Indian frontier. A tribute to PVC Capt. Vikram Batra. The "Watching over Kargil, still guarding the nation" slogan is from an anonymous inte

Apply Goldilocks principle

- August 22, 2021

There is one thing universal about successful managers. They keep increasing the performance benchmark every time. It applies to an athletic coach who wants to make his trainee globally competitive. I have worked under cruelly kind managers who are very ruthless in getting the tasks done. They push you to improve your competency and skills every day. You may have had a tough time working under this manager, and still, it is not something to be resented. Weathers the pressures work? We start looking for ways to do things better when the competitive edge is so narrow, and even a marginal improvement in something will give you an edge over your competitors. I had my dilemmas over if harsh managers are good or bad. A good manager sets difficult but attainable benchmarks and allows members to execute tasks with relative autonomy. There is no use flogging a dead horse. Spend time grooming the people who are motivated to do their best. I have spent time with people who do not have enough

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