Company wants written tech docs after making tech artists redundant
polycounter lvl 18
A couple of mates have been made redundant and are both technical artists. They were pretty much the only ones in the company they worked for that knew how to do all the technical stuff, and were the first point of call if any help was needed. They have a few weeks of notice to serve now, and their lead is asking them to write down everything they know and all their technical knowledge.
I was just wondering if anyone has been through something like this before and can give advice?
Seems to me at least one of them should have been kept on in the company if they needed the tech help (no technical artists will be left in the company) and by transferring all their tech expertise the company are basically stealing their skillset?
I was just wondering if anyone has been through something like this before and can give advice?
Seems to me at least one of them should have been kept on in the company if they needed the tech help (no technical artists will be left in the company) and by transferring all their tech expertise the company are basically stealing their skillset?
Replies
If it's documentation relating to proprietary tech, then I'd imagine it'd be more complex due to ownership issues, though it would also be worth reading over their NDA as this might be covered by that as opposed to their contract.
If they just want step-by-step instructions on how to do stuff or cheat sheets for other personnel, though, I'd say tough shit.
I'd recommend poring over their contracts and seeing exactly what is defined as company property in terms of the work they've done, and contacting ACAS regarding their rights (if they're in the UK).
http://www.acas.org.uk/
Sounds really shady. :shifty:
project: yes, i would say no problem. it's only part of the leaving a company thing, even if you are on the short end of the stick.
tech artist in general: ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
howabout no.
everything they know,thats a bit vauge isnt it?
I worked at a studio that requested the same thing of the technical artist when he left. So, he left very basic notes about his daily process for the current project, nothing more. If those tech artists want to keep any of their personal value (based on their knowledge) I would say only document the stuff that's needed.
Keep their hard earned tips-n-tricks and problem solving tactics to themselves, and lend those skills to the next place they end up.
I mean you could have all the tech docs in the world but without someone that can interpret them properly and apply the knowledge therein to solve the problems at hand, then what use are they?
If I was one of them I would write up as thorough documentation as I could for all the tools/plugins/scripts/shaders/etc... that I had made up to that point, wish everyone else on the team "good luck", and that would be about it.
Seriously, what more can be expected of them? It's not like a bunch of documents is going to be a viable replacement. Two weeks to writeup a career's worth of experience and knowledge? Somehow I don't think that's going to happen...
And here I thought that technical artists had much more stable employment than standard artists.
These guys arent too bright, they probably think they get someone cheaper, or are trying to build a robot to do their job. "With these here documents we could rule the world...and fix any pc, but what does build a gui interface in visual basic mean?"
There knowledge written down wouldnt mean anything, if they want someone to take over they would need to be taught by those two guys, and probably for quite a while depending on the complexity of the system.
They should just write down the documentation as best they can then laugh when they get the call back.
BS
Especially nowadays, when game development houses that are run properly and are experienced or at least competent go out of business every year.
This would be my response:
[ame]
I'm a really nice guy, so I actually produced the documentation they wanted. This wasn't really because I felt I owed them. It was more due to my desire to complete the project at hand. Having good documentation that makes a product editable and reusable is just good coding practice.
In the situation you're describing, I think the employees in question would have been entirely justified in "checking out" for their last two weeks. Companies can't expect employees to stay motivated when they know they are on their way out the door.
Personally I would be tossed up between being like Richard and finishing the job for the sake of being thorough. OR spending the rest of the time hiding expired meat products in hilarious places. I like oXY's idea but I think maybe they should quit without documenting anything then offer to stay on as contract to do the documentation, with a nice little bump in pay. Someone might call it extortion, I would call it a teaching moment for management...
http://www.goodbrush.com/misc/painting_lessons/lessons.htm
If you ignore all standards of brevity and organization, it is pretty easy to spend a couple weeks writing some amazing stream of consciousness tech docs that only an expert at least as knowledgeable as yourself could ever hope to use effectively.
<disclamer> I'm drunk right now
keep in mind, any sort of docs will never replace TA staff who can apply this knowledge and adapt it to solve all kinds of different issues. if that were the case companies wouldn't have to hire TAs in the firstplace
Don't Drink and Post.
You might spill your drink.
I've been in a positions where i've had to document certain job practices on the job for potential successors, but at no point was i under the gun or on a two week notice. It's funny but at the time i thought if i did a good job writing up how to train someone to take over my job it would help me move up. bwa ha.
That sounds like an awesome opportunity for, among other things, a rickroll...
Have to echo dans comments on pg1.. also go see a lawyer.
Laws vary from state to state, but in most places you have to quit, perform so poorly that they have no choice but to fire you, or commit a felony, in order to be denied unemployment. Do look up your states laws first tho. Some places will let your employer screw you over if they feel like it.
Shader Help.
Designing a shader See p42......
p42. Consult Chapter 4.....
Chapter 4. Shader troubleshooting
For more info consult Designing a Shader.
Cue a warm glow that will last for months whenever you think about them trying to follow it
There are many conditions where you can get unemployment if you quit, its kind of a myth that you can't.
qft
qft
qft
in addition... it's your name you should worry about
Thats true, but youll have to fight for it. If you need that unemployment check to survive, it doesnt matter much that you could maybe get it in 4-6 months if your documentation is strong enough.
But they're not really friends are they......to further your analogy, your friends have just volunteered you to go over the top on a suicidal charge, but first they want your boots and your socks and Sergeant Jones wants a quick knock off in OP4. Not really cricket is it?
Ok, ok I get your point, damn you rational level-headed types......
But in my opinion this covers only the things you did for that company. Documentation of the tools you've created, shaders you wrote and so on.
If they really ask you to give away everything you know then this sounds really shady and is to certain point absurd. As stated before: A pile of documents with some enlighten ideas on them will mean nothing without someone to use this to the companys advantage.
But there is nothing wrong with a company expecting you to leave the place and have the work you did for them properly documented.
Infact depending on your contract you could be sued to provide such documentation.
The ones as thick as telephone books?
So if they've written tools or designed pipelines, I think it's only fair they write up documentation on them. It's just good form, both from a "job well done" standpoint and it's manners that when leaving a company you tidy up your loose ends. You don't want to hinder your colleagues even if you harbor ill will to the management. Don't burn bridges :P
Documenting as much of their own knowledge as they can? Heh, no. If they're apparently no longer required, the knowledge and skills they possess shouldn't be either, right?
Gotta agree with talon here never burn bridges when leaving/ getting fired from a job, With an industry as small as the one we work in you'll probably be working with the same people again.
To go out of your way to sabotage something like these tech documents or anything else is not only showing a lack of respect for your colleagues but a lack of normal and fundamental social skills.
In the end it sucks that your getting laid off but you still need to respect what your doing no matter how angry you are at the company.
"why should I do this when I am getting laid off?!" well they are still paying you, and generally your employer tells you what to do while at work...so if you are being paid for the next few weeks ofcourse your employer is going to get you to do work that benefits them.
If you have been making tools and shaders you should have been documenting them since day one really, this industry is so full of tribal style knowledge it makes it ridiculously inefficient at times.
In my contract it specificly states I should take notes and be able to produce documentation of my work upon request, check many of your's I'm sure there are similar clauses. ofcourse no one usually expects you to keep up on it, but in this situation if their contracts have that in there, I dont think you can really argue.
where I would draw the line is if they suddenly asked me to learn and document pflow within a week or something like that. If I was being laid off, chances are I wouldnt put in a ton of overtime. But if its some notes on a tool that artists or fellow workers are going to be using after I am gone, then hell yea I'll leave some instructions on how to use it.
Vig, Talon and Arman hit the nail on the head, this industry is so small, everyone in Vancouver knows everyone else and reputations follow you from one job to the next.
Being juvenile and an ass in your final days isnt going to make you co-workers want to recommend you or work with you again, sure management might be a bunch of wankers but they are not going to be the ones using the tools and suffering if there is no one who knows how to use them.
I dont really see what can be lost by dropping the egos, doing the work, shaking hands at the end of your term and leaving with a good impression. Throwing a tizzy fit and sabotaging the project or tools on the other hand will pretty much get you blacklisted in most circles round here.
on a lighter note, awesome suggestions by many of the PC crew here, if only management would be the ones to have to suffer those means of revenge
"Here read and follow this, if you have any questions, read it again".
Is a lot easier than:
"ok... so watch me for the next 3 weeks and keep pestering me with questions, oh and when I get pissed and snap your neck because I FORGOT to tell you something, don't take it personally".
I'm all about professionalism and doing the right thing, but the way he described the situation says they expect significantly more from the soon-to-be redundant technical artists than they're reasonably expected to provide, contractually or not. Who knows, that might not be the case.
It doesn't really help this discussion that the affected artists aren't asking themselves, and explaining exactly what their lead expects, but acting in a courteous, professional manner doesn't necessarily have to mean they should bring their own jars of Vaseline to work on their last day, nor does it necessarily make them bad employees if they don't.
There's certainly nothing unprofessional about knowing what's right, what's expected, and what your rights are.
/\ All of this, I see more of these shady acts happening you guys better find a lawyer quick to review and prevent this from happening to you. I was at an art house where this happen, next thing you know no more work came from them and they weren't being let go. Speaking from experiance here, watch out!