TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> I have been asked to propose a technical writing
> workflow for my team here
> at UPS as a prototype for an enterprise TW approach.
>
> I am interested in your opinions as to what
> workflows, techniques and
> tools a really modern TW uses. By really modern I
> mean modular, topical
> and single-sourced, distributed via a portal, etc.
Dude... Stop, breathe, and think. You didn't mention
deliverables. What are you producing, and how are they
shipped? Work backward from there, well, actually...
Start with your users' needs, compare them to what you
deliver to them now and see if needs are being met
Note what works and what does not. Note solutions.
List all deliverables needed. THEN work backward.
You can get really really REALLY modern but it'll do
you no good unless you know what you and your
customers NEED.
Also, think of your expenses, no so much in money, but
in time and talent. Take inventory of what you have at
your disposal (in talent and time, not tools) and see
if a super ultra King Kong mega workflow and
infrastructure will even be warranted, and if so,
wel-received.
You have an awful lot to consider. If you're to do it
right, you need to do your analysis from the ground up
before even thinking about workflow and tools.
Good luck.
- Goober
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com
Check out the new release of RoboDemo, our easy-to-use tutorial software.
Plus, buy RoboHelp Office in August and save $100 with our mail-in rebate.
Get details and download free trial versions at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.