New TECHWR-L Poll Question - Version Tracking

[Lisa M. Bronson <lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com>]

Hello everyone,

Another weekend has passed, and it's time for a new poll. I was going  
through the site and looking at some of the articles out there, and  
happened upon one about version tracking on the Project and Document  
Planning page:  
http://www.techwr-l.com/ct.php?link=http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ 
magazine/writing/planninghomepage.html

Where I work, much of our version tracking is done manually. When I  
started here, it all was; the section numbering system used a Rolodex,  
and we had a series of three-ring binders full of assembly lists! Now,  
we have an electronic product data management system for instruction  
manuals, but parts manuals are still done manually. Our version  
tracking on our parts manuals is quite structured and rigid; as such,  
it is very confusing to anyone who doesn't use it and is extremely  
difficult to learn. I was trained on it about a year ago, and thought I  
was going to go nuts! But once I got the system down, it wasn't so bad.  
I'd like to see things done differently on the instruction manual side.  
Although it's done electronically, it's not as structured, and mistakes  
can be made. I'd even like to use a system where drafts are revision  
tracked.

So, this week's poll question addresses the subject of version  
tracking, and as you can imagine after reading that, I'm looking  
forward to reading your responses.

What type of system does your company use to keep track of document  
versions?

* A versioning system (e.g. SourceSafe or XML)
* A manual system we keep track of on paper
* We are government-regulated, and use a set system
* I am a contractor--I write it, they maintain it
* I am a contractor and set up each system by client
* A combination of electronic and manual tracking
* Our docs are one-time releases, no revisions
* Other/None of the above


Please enter your responses at http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/

Have a great week!

Lisa B.
TECHWR-L Administrator


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