TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Repair Parts List Organization From:tjohnson -at- starcutter -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 4 Aug 2005 08:34:11 -0600
Good morning,
Here's a question for non-software writers.
If you were designing a list of parts for a complicated machine, how would
you organize the list?
We build machines. Systems, subsystems, and components come from a number
of vendors in addition to parts we manufacture. Our company assigns a
unique part number for each component: both purchased and manufactured. We
provide assembly drawings that show how the components fit together and a
list of parts for each assembly.
Ages ago, our engineers actually created the list of parts in CAD files
based on the assembly. We extracted the text and used that to create the
parts lists.
Now, all the parts are in a database and I have the task of designing the
parts list (for printed copies) and I wonder how we can make the
information more accessible. Although it is broken down by assembly, the
lists seem almost random and I can't imagine trying to locate a particular
part in the list to find out what I need to buy to fix my machine.
I'm assuming we'll organize the list by assembly/system, but should we
sort by our part number or manufacturer or part name (description) or the
manufacturer's part number. Due to different numbering schemes, the last
option does not seem at all reasonable.
Our products aren't hugely complex (like the space shuttle), but the parts
lists have several hundred items in total.
I'm afraid I'm not explaining the situation very clearly. I'll blame that
on the thunderstorms that woke me up two hours early along with the
resulting power outage that threw off my routine this morning.
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
