Draft Introduction from information gathered last week.
Sent my introduction to project lecturer.
Received feedback -
In the first draft my writing style was " too technical "
I could not move forward unless I addressed this issue. Revised Introduction - submitted again for appraisal
In order to change my writing style to fit the needs of this document I first did some reading about writing styles.
One of the the things I learned is that people write similarly to the way they speak and also they tend to base their writing on the wealth of knowledge that they already have. (i.e. for factual documents and not imaginative work) Most of this knowledge base comes from what they read. I was well able to identify with this fact and clearly understood why I had this problem and why it persisted over the years. The majority of what I read (other than fiction) is very technical in nature. With this in mind I set out to gather reading material about the business impacts of my project. I also decided to consult a lecturer (resource from SBCS) to get an idea of the organization's situation that fueled the need for the system.
Using what I read and notes from correspondence with the lecturer i rewrote the proposal. With 2 days to consultation I opted to wait and have it reviewed in person with my project lecturer.The details of what texts and online references used to review changing writing style is outlined in the - How I did It Section.
Established Preliminary Objectives
At the consultation I discussed my ideas for objectives with the project lecturer. I was given the OK and plan to have them and their activities completed in the next week.
How I Did It
The following resources were used in evaluating and reforming writing style;
Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/index.html
How to change your writing style
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-change-your-writing-style/
Style in Business Writing
http://www.uoregon.edu/~ddusseau/101/199/style.html
Oxford Guide to Effective Writing and Speaking
John Seely
Oxford University Press
Why I did It
My project lecturer brought it to my attention, in a very subtle but clear way, that my writing style was not appropriate for the document submissions necessary for my final project. I understood immediately the risk this would pose to the overall success of the project and decided to address the situation with a positive mindset.
I believe this change will act as a preemptive to documentation risk. I hope it aids in saving time in future phases of the project.
Lessons Learn
What I Plan to Do
Time Management is an invaluable lesson - by the end of this project my skills should significantly improve.
Even technical positions / academia require clear communication skills - written & verbal.
Documentation does not occur only in software programs. Keeping track of the process involved in doing any task / project is arduous but important work.
Writing down or documenting what you do makes it easier to rework, remember faults / successes, and prove that you did the work.
Research Material direcltly related to my project - types of middleware using web services; where and how they are implemented.
Refine Project Proposal - Introduction, Objectives
Start Risk Assessment, Resources Required, Relevance of other courses and
Critical Success Factors
