Big Challenge, Broad Reach
I want to share with you the mail that I recently sent to my team:
“This is not easy. Goodbyes are tricky and invariably ambiguous. Not like hellos. We all remember what Neil Armstrong said when he was the first man to land on the moon, but does anyone know what Eugene Cernan said when he left as the last man on the moon? Did he even promise to call?” - Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News Columnist [on saying goodbye to the old Mile High Stadium]
Last week I accepted an offer to become the Developer Division Help Experience PM. This job has a huge challenge - collaborating across many different organizations and disciplines to improve how developers find the information they need, and ensuring that the quality of that information is high when they get there. Many people in the division have put in a lot of time and energy into the help system and creating innovative help features, and in working to improve content. I hope and plan to make a significant contribution in streamlining and focusing these efforts. One of my first steps in my new role will be talking to folks around the division hearing your thoughts about the current and future help experience.
It is hard for me to say goodbye to this team. This is my second home, my extended family. I have spent over 7 years with you. But I don’t really view this as leaving a team as much as going to a new opportunity. The fact that I’ll be on the 6th floor and not in some other building across campus makes it a little easier, as I will still get to see your faces and ask about you, your kids and everything.
Thank you to everyone in this organization who has helped me to grow into the leadership role that I have served in. And when asked if I think I’ll ever come back to the team, I’ll simply reply with a quote from Einstein: “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.”
And so I started this new position this week (yes that is why you saw a flurry of posts last week ;) ). As such, you will find my blog transition to a home for the world of Help! I am still happy to take your questions and comments about Visual C++, I still know where to find the answers <g>. Soon I'll have a post asking for your feedback about Help and what you like/don't like about it. For now - cheers!
- April
