Building a documentation knowledgebase

[chevotilburg -at- postmaster -dot- co -dot- uk]

Hi everyone,

I'm posting under a different email address since i've learned the folly
of using the company's addy. :p
I need your help in a particular situation that maybe some of you have
experienced.

The company has been established for some time and unfortunately has a
high turnover of writers. Mostly due to lack of management support and
differences in opinion. There used to be a team of 5 that gradually shrank
to 2.

Since we inherited documentation that never really followed a proper
strcture that tied in with support, training and quality - each area has
gone its separate ways. The result is - docs that don't match in terms of
content.

Suddenly, management wants all areas that require documentation to be tied
in with each other- so a grand plan has been launched - starting with
making a general template used by support,quality,training and us writers(
responsible only for online help documentation).

Privately- we writers would like to see a knowledgebase happen. Would
anyone know how to start a plan for a knowledgebase that includes all
areas - just as a starting point?

Everyone wants a change in the documentation area - however - i think
starting with a template that serves all - is not exactly the first step.

Any suggestions on how to establish an information flow that can be used
by all?

Thanks,
Cheryl
PS. Previously i posted on WIKI being used internally. Well, that has been
adopted by mostly all in the company. As to whether anyone uses it
constructively- i've no idea. HOwever- on the documentation side this has
been a useful tool to collaborate on product information.