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Re: I had hoped to get more of a response - Re: Managing versions of documents - problems and concerns
Subject:Re: I had hoped to get more of a response - Re: Managing versions of documents - problems and concerns From:"Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- editors-writers -dot- info> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 19 Jun 2003 17:50:04 -0400
----- Original Message -----
From: "Svi Ben Elya" <svib -at- bezeqint -dot- net>
> What I need is information on how you keep track of what changes were made
> to documents, when and why. What drawbacks are there to the method used?
> What you would like to keep track of if you could find a practical way to do
> it? ...
>
> Your feedback will be used as part of an overview of what issues are
> involved in managing changes made to documents. If it will help, please read
> the list of issues that I have compiled so far.
>
> Issue 1: Keeping track of which changes were made after the version of a
> document held by a specific customer. How can Technical Support quickly
> identify whether corrections were already included in the document or were
> added later?
>
One solution is to give each document a Part No. and print it on the
document's copyright page.The customer calls and you ask for the part number
of the document the customer currently uses. Voila!
> Issue 2: When more than one person works on a document, how does each writer
> know what changes have already been made?
Use a version control system such as SourceSafe (Microsoft).
>
> Issue 3: Who made and who authorized a specific change? This can save
> valuable time when problems occur and more information is needed on the
> change and which customer's it affects.
>
Use FrameMaker, which lets you tailor books to specific customers.
> Issue 4: When single-sourcing is used, changes and information related to a
> specific document or version of the document.
Your question is missing from this one. ;)
>
> Issue 5: Document rollbacks. How can I rollback to an old version of a
> document when customers have problems with the newer documentation or the
> product is rolled back? How do I identify what changes made to the document
> are relevant to the older version of the product.
>
You have to tie your part numbers/versions with your product version.
> Issue 6: Version Management software commonly used by R&D does not always
> identify changes made to documents.
>
With FrameMaker, you can compare documents and see immediately what was
changed from one document to another. SourceSafe tells you who saved it and
when. Changes made could only have been made by the person who checked it in,
if the change appeared in that version.
> Issue 7: When using a check-out/check-in system and different people work on
> different chapters (FM files), how do you check for changes to an entire
> book without checking-out all files, thus preventing writers form working on
> the files.
>
That's the point of checking files out. As the editor, I often had to wait
until the writers were done. Worked well, because I was interested in
reviewing the writers' work.
However, if your question relates to just viewing the files, any number of
copies of a checked-out file may be viewed. You could have 100 people viewing
Chapter 3 when it has been checked out by Writer A. They can't check it back
in, though. That is, they cannot change it.
Of course, it's possible to muck up even version-control software, and if I
recall correctly, at my old company, people did little tricks and managed to
mess things up. Nothing's foolproof, that's for sure.
But FrameMaker and SourceSafe are pretty darn good if people aren't going to
play games and try to beat the software at its own game.
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