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As for advice, I'd start with asking the reasons for not having access to the software. This should be done in a non-confrontational way, a way that I cannot think of at 7:30AM on a Friday. ;-) You can then examine the reasons and construct an arguement (logical not whining) that invalidates those reasons. That's assuming that there is some logic behind not letting you have access to the software. If it's an emotional thing--your developers dont' trust people outside of their cabal for example--you'll have to take a different approach. If neither of these work, you'll have to go for the ROI argument, which means documenting the time that it takes doing documentation with vs. without access to the software and showing a real dollar savings for having access. If you have shown that their logic is faulty, have soothed their emotions, and proven a better ROI, and they still don't let you have access, then you're just hosed and you should go get the t-shirt! ;-)
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Sean Hower - communications specialist http://www.seanhower.com
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