ABSTRACT
Managing a publications project is, in some ways, like managing a scuba diving expedition. If the writing phase is the least vulnerable phase, the review phase is the most vulnerable. Writers sometimes resort to pleas, threats, bribery, and just about everything short of murder in their attempts to coax reviews out of subject-matter experts. Too often, informal communication is used because the project manager is too busy to write a memo or the members of the project team do not have time to attend a meeting. Just as often, projects encounter unnecessary delays because someone on the team was overlooked and did not hear about a change in the plan. The next most obvious option is to work overtime. It is rare these days to see a publications group that does not work large amounts of overtime. One cannot be an effective publications manager if they simply move from one crisis to the next.
