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Michael Ronquillo asked:
>But what if there is an update to that guide? How do you document a
>change in the document that is re-released for that software?
The date/time stamp enables me to tell one iteration from another.
Because the date/time stamp is a variable, I need to make manual changes
to the doc control number only when we release a new build. I should add
that I currently do not work in a regulated industry. When I was writing
about cellular telephony servers, I used a scheme similar to the one you
suggest.
Leonard C. Porrello
SoleraTec LLC
www.soleratec.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Ronquillo, Michael [mailto:mronquillo -at- equitrac -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 8:00 AM
To: Leonard C. Porrello; techwr-l List
Subject: RE: Significance of Document Numbering?
But what if there is an update to that guide? How do you document a
change in the document that is re-released for that software?
I personally put a version number at the end and note the change in a
table called document history.
Michael Ronquillo
Technical Writer - Equitrac
1-800-472-9532 x2334
mronquillo -at- equitrac -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+mronquillo=equitrac -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+mronquillo=equitrac -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Leonard C. Porrello
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 10:51 AM
To: techwr-l List
Subject: RE: Significance of Document Numbering?
Jessica Weissman states:
>You can give documents sequential numbers so that it is easier to tell
>documents apart that have very similar names. In that case, the numbers
are >a convenience. Perhaps they give some comfort to the engineers who
like to >number things.
I use a date/time stamp to make it easy to discern iterations of docs
from one another. My boss, who is an engineer, asked for doc control
numbers, so I have those too. The doc control number is very simple,
comprising an abbreviation for the type of doc and the release number of
the software. For example, "UG-3.2.1" is the doc control number for the
UG for software release 3.2.1. While a user might theoretically use the
doc control number to ensure that his manuals match his software, only
the date/time stamp has ever been useful internally.
Leonard C. Porrello
SoleraTec LLC
www.soleratec.com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
om] On Behalf Of Jessica Weissman
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 6:45 AM
To: techwr-l List
Subject: RE: Significance of Document Numbering?
You can give documents sequential numbers so that it is easier to tell
documents apart that have very similar names. In that case, the numbers
are a convenience. Perhaps they give some comfort to the engineers who
like to number things.
You can also make up a classification scheme for documents and give
documents a number that indicates their class, role, type, etc etc etc
etc etc, with a sequential ID number postfixed.
In my experience, the latter strategy makes the person who created it
very happy and does little or nothing for others. Our process guru
could tell you what SP-ACT-TR-004 was. Nobody else could, but we used
the numbers to keep her happy and to prevent her from spending lots of
time explaining to us how beautiful and valuable the numbers were.
It saved discussion time, but it drove people nuts because the file
names (which replicated the document numbers) were useless for finding
the item you wanted. I kept renamed versions of the docs that were
important to me on my own workstation.
Seriously, if you have a classification scheme that is important and
useful to more than one person, embedded the classification scheme in a
document number may be useful. Otherwise it is a form of fetish.
Sequential numbers may be more useful, but it depends on your needs.
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