Contractor Diaries: The Case of the vanishing manual and the surprise deadline

The Interview

Hiring Manager (broadcasting from Germany) was bang on time. I commented on his punctuality: “I am German, I am always on time.”
This project should have started three months ago… but it’s been… how do you say… ‘back-burner’.
Me: How many pages is it?
Over 100 needs another 15 pages, as we have added two new features.”
Me: Accessing the application is necessary unless documentation exists.
“Yes, and No.”
Me: When must it be ready?
“By the end of May, we only have a budget for fifteen working days.” Please wait for it; here comes the punchline. “UK Technical Authors are expensive.”
I nod, smile, and think,
Me: I am thinking. This project may not be workable.

Day 1: The Manual Hunt Begins

After struggling in the basement-level car park, I’m in the office trying to find a vacant space. I’m told to ask for the hiring manager. However, he doesn’t collect me, but someone else who has a vague idea of why I am there. I’m shown to a seat and introduced to a PM, who explains the hiring manager is still in Germany. He’ll be here tomorrow. Meanwhile, I am shown to a desk.

Me: Can I get access to the manual?
Them: What manual?
Me: The 100-page document you hired me to update?
Them: [nervous shuffling] They called the hiring manager, who said he wanted my start date delayed because he can’t get to the UK for two days. That is called a lack of communication.
But by 2:00 p.m., someone finds a PDF buried deep in a folder called FINAL_V4_Actual_Final_Use_This_Really_THIS_ONE.pdf.

I spent the rest of the day reading, mapping it out, and writing questions, feeling productive. However, the document revealed key insights.

• • • High Precision, but Inconsistent Voice: For what was to be a customer-facing document,

    • it contained a lot of technical material:

    • Tone and structure varied from page to page.

    • Repetition, as each author assumes, they must define things their way.

    • Overly complex content or translated from German leads to strange phrasing in English.

When I approached SMEs with my best smile and notebook ready, they said: “Sorry… who are you?”

Day 2: The ‘Doing’Nothing’ Incident

I received an email from a manager who said they “watched me sitting and doing nothing yesterday. I need to take more initiative. I’m sitting, reading, and understanding a complicated 100-page document from various German writers.
I invite the manager to a meeting.
Me: Have you worked with a technical author before?
The manager stares at me with a blank expression.
Me: Do you know what I need to do before I can start updating a large document?
Manager: [Blank stare]
Cue my improvised TED Talk:

• • • • • • First, it took over five hours to find a valid copy.
          • I read the first 25 pages.
          • Took notes.
          • But until I have access to the live system, I can’t gauge how much work lies ahead.

I’m told the hiring manager won’t be in until Thursday.

Day 3: The Bombshell

The hiring manager arrived on Thursday. He is casual and relaxed. Here is a quick update. We go into a meeting where we speak to the German-based project manager. He runs through the requirements with me. But the more he talks, the more concerned I am about deadlines. Neither the hiring manager nor the PM knows how long it will take to update the document. 

Let’s Do the Math:

• • • 100 existing pages
    • 15 new pages
    • The deadline is the end of May, and the date is 8th May
    • = 115 pages / 13 days = 9 pages

That’s nine pages of research, screenshot-embedded, style-consistent, crafted tech writing per day. That speed is only possible for caffeinated AI and mythical beasts.

Contractor Mood: Somewhere between Gandalf entering Mordor and a contestant on Bake Off who just realised they forgot to preheat the oven.

Day 4: Vanishing trick

As usual, I arrived early and resumed my work. However, our efficient hiring manager has returned to Germany without informing me.

On Monday, I called it a day. The document updates lacked urgency and comprehension.

Technical Document Update – Time & Effort Estimate

Document Details: 15 working days to complete and distribute with the new release.

• • • 100-page document by five German writers

    • Requires an additional 15 pages of new content

    • 70% of screenshots need updating

    • Full structural, stylistic, and formatting revision required

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Estimated Effort Timeline

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| Phase 2: Content Creation | Write 15 New Pages | 28–43 hrs | ResearcResearchng, SME input, alignment with existing tone | | Subtotal | | 28–43 hrs | |

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| Phase 3: Visual & Structural Updates | Replace 70% Screenshots (≈70 images) | 26–40 hrs | Includes screen capture, annotation, UI label translation | |

| Update Existing Content (50% of doc) | 30–40 hrs | Harmonise tone, remove redundancy, simplify formal phrasing |

| | Formatting & Styling Consistency | 8–10 hrs | Standardise headings, spacing, tables, visuals |

| | Update Cross-References & TOC | 5–7 hrs | Ensure internal links, anchors, numbering are accurate | | Subtotal | | 69–97 hrs | |

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| Phase 4: Review & Delivery | Quality Review & Self-Check | 7–10 hrs | Full pass for flow, structure, grammar, readability |

| | Client-Ready Packaging | 3–4 hrs | Version control, change log, delivery format | | Subtotal | | 10–14 hrs | |

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| Contingency & Human Factors | Fatigue, interruptions, context switching | 13–20 hrs | Buffer for productivity dips, SME delays, perfectionism loops | | Subtotal | | 13–20 hrs | |

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Total Estimated Hours:

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