WTD Portland 2019 Conference Talk Preview with Jodie Putrino

Hello Documentarians!

Our next Write the Docs Boulder/Denver meetup is on Tuesday, May 14th, at F5 in Louisville. And we have an exclusive! We'll have an opportunity to hear one of the sixteen presentations that was selected for Write the Docs 2019 Portland conference!

Jodie Putrino will preview her "Defying the Status Quo: How a grassroots effort can transform an organization" talk.
See you at the meetup!

Presenter:
Jodie Putrino, Principal Technical Writer at F5

Talk title:
Defying the Status Quo: How a grassroots effort can transform an organization

Agenda:
6 pm: Meet and mingle. Snacks and beverages (including session IPAs!) will be provided.
6:30 pm: Jodie presents "Defying the Status Quo: How a grassroots effort can transform an organization".
7 pm: Q&A/discussion
7:30: Adjourn - optionally join your fellow documentarians for Docs & Drinks/Dinner in nearby downtown Louisville if you want to continue the conversation!

Description from Jodie:
When I presented at WTD NA in 2017 (Treating Documentation Like Code: A Practical Account), an audience member asked me afterwards what organizational barriers I'd dealt with and how I got past them. At that point, the answer was "none" -- the road had been pretty easy so far.

Fast-forward two years and my answer is now very different. My little docs-like-code project quickly gained traction across the company. As the adoption rate grew, so did the visibility of the project up the chain of the organization. The more people knew about it, the more they either wanted to join in or to stop it in its tracks.

Through supportive education, thoughtful consideration, and consistency of messaging, I saw the project grow from a stop-gap solution to the basis for a burgeoning company-wide digital transformation effort.

In this talk, I'll use the elements of my journey to reflect on the following topics:

• Helping others succeed ultimately helps you to succeed.
• You are the expert on your project. You are its best advocate.
• Approach roadblocks and pitfalls thoughtfully instead of emotionally.
• Be consistent in your messaging to bridge political discussions.
• Be patient. Change takes time.