Re: Can you suggest a way to manage this process?

["Ned Bedinger" <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>]

Elizabeth--

It depends. The time frame is a severe handicap, and I agree with Peter that
change tracking is not up to the job, but my experience with reviews leads
me to use the "comments" facility, not change tracking.  I think adding
comments would be just as easy for the reviewer, and if it makes more work
for you it also provides a markup that clearly shows what each reviewer
wants to say.  Ideally, they would all work off one copy containing the
comments, and then all review everyone else's comments before making final
changes, but that brings you back to the time constraint.  At any rate, I
suggest comments, not tracked changes for this sort of thing, mostly because
Word is unstable (leading to a classic corrupt document at the last minute)
when tracking a lot of changes

A few considerations that might provide some slack in the line:  Do the
reviewers represent distinct perspectives?  if you can narrow down the areas
of the document that correspond to each of the reviewers, then you can break
it up and provide just what they need instead of tying up the whole document
at aech review station. Do you think there are any efficiencies or synergies
among the reviewers such that two or more of them might collaborate on one
review?  Do you have any sense of how extensive the changes will be?  If it
is a matter of a line here and there, with an occasional paragraph or two
added in, then the following suggestion is where your best option lies.

If the product of this review cycle is supposed to represent a consensus
among the reviewers, then I believe a more direct route would be to ask them
to read/mark it up in hardcopy and bring it to a meeting with you and the
other reviewers.  The markup is primarily for your benefit, to provide a
record of the proposed changes per reviewer--the real requirement is for
each reviewer to present their comments/changes as the other reviewers and
you follow along.  Use a chalk board or flip pad to record outlined proposed
changes, to keep the issues in front of the reviewers.  The group can
resolve any further issues, and you get their unified opinion, which you
record as changes in the document (or in notes, ot whatever circumstances
dictate).  A distant second option (for me, as a marginal typist) would be
to meet online with the reviewers in NetMeeting, with the document displayed
on the shared desktop and everyone present on a conference call.  The
reviewers could hash it out, and dictate the agreed-to changes, and review
them online as you make the changes.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Ned Bedinger
Ed Wordsmith Technical Communications

----- Original Message -----
From: "O'Shea ,Elizabeth" <Elizabeth -dot- OShea -at- Elan -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 3:14 AM
Subject: Can you suggest a way to manage this process?


>
> I have to send a document for review today to seven different reviewers.
The
> impossible goal says all their comments and changes have to be reconciled,
> implemented, and signed off by tomorrow evening.
>
> We use Word. Track changes has been on since the content owner edited the
> existing document. There have been substantial changes. There will be more
> substantial changes when the reviewers get the document, and seven
different
> people will be making them.
>
> The process here is somewhat ad hoc, but whatever the process we must be
> able to trace all the changes made by everyone. We don't have time for
> everyone to review a single electronic copy of the document in turn. The
> alternative is seven electronic copies with unique file names or paper
> copies. I don't think paper copies are feasible.
>
> The document is stored in a folder structure on a network. It's not in a
> controlled management system such as VSS.
>
> I welcome any suggestions on how to make this work.
>
> Thanks.
>
> elizabeth
>
> Elizabeth OShea
> Elizabeth -dot- OShea -at- elan -dot- com <mailto:Elizabeth -dot- OShea -at- elan -dot- com>
>


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