RE: what should I say?

Subject: RE: what should I say?
From: "Andrew Dugas" <dugas -at- intalio -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 12:12:30 -0700




Well, let's look at this from a solutions-oriented POV.

Their plan to pull things into Quark makes me think they intend to dress up
the documentation beyond what you provide. Font fondling, logo play,
branding type stuff, etc.

If that's the case, all you are providing is content, not a final product. I
suspect that the client sees the designer as the final production person and
the designer is used to Quark so that is what she recommends. I suspect they
are unaware of the tools at your disposal.

How to let them know? How to balance what the client wants against what the
client REALLY needs but doesn't know it?

You should ask WHY they want to pull it into Quark, what they are looking to
accomplish. If it's branding, you may be able to duplicate the look and feel
they are going for in Frame, thereby saving them the trouble (and possibly
shifting some billable hours from the designer's plate onto your own).

Depending on the above answer, ask them HOW they want to pull it into Quark.
I am unfamiliar with Quark but back in the day Pagemaker let you import PDFs
and PSs so conceivably (never tried it myself) you could pull a Frame manual
into PageMaker for publishing purpose. (Why you would do something so insane
is another question for another day.)

Also, if they are thinking strictly print, all the hyperlinks and fancy
cross-references from Frame become moot.

So ask the questions. WHY and HOW. At some point you will find an opening to
talk about what you can offer. Don't push it, just put it out there.
Initially they may stick to the original plan, but when the schedule and
budget starts tightening up, they might think twice about your claims of
saving time and money.

Good luck.

Andy



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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

Absolutely FREE! FrameMaker/Win 6 & 7 Express Customization (v3):
Quick-access buttons & keys to common functions, char tag/font drop-down
lists, charset browser, QRef guides & much more: http://www.microtype.com/2

---
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.



References:
what should I say?: From: Susan W. Gallagher

Previous by Author: RE: Tuesday's news: cost-cutting measures
Next by Author: RE: Documenting complex tasks in Online Help
Previous by Thread: Re: what should I say?
Next by Thread: Re: what should I say?


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads