Re: HTML Editors and ISO documentation

Subject: Re: HTML Editors and ISO documentation
From: Tim Altom <taltom -at- IQUEST -dot- NET>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 1996 21:13:00 EST

At 04:59 PM 3/22/96 -0500, you wrote:
>> Why would you elect to put your ISO docs into HTML and view >with
>Netscape,when a)that lets people save your doc locally, >something you
>definitely don't want to do in an ISO >environment, and b)limits your layout
>options? Why not go >with Acrobat or something similar that can't be messed
>with >andmaintains formatting?

>Our Quality Assurance Dept. has all of ISO procedures and work instructions
>in MS Word password protected files on our network. It's easy to update and
>all our PC and Mac users already have Word on their computers.

>Since the docs are password protected, users can view the docs in read-only
>format or print them. Printed version have a 5 day expiration date on them,
>so the user knows to trash them after that time.

>I realize some of you will probably cringe when you see that we are using MS
>Word; however, it works for us!

>Donna Apgar (DonnaSiebe -at- aol -dot- com)
>Marketing Communications
>Siebe Environmental Controls
>http://www.siebe-env-controls.com

Glad to hear that it works. I'd only have two concerns, though. One is that
Word's password protection is a joke, as far as security provisions go. As
we used to say, it keeps out the honest folk. That may not be a problem for
you. But the second problem I'd see with the arrangement is that people may
well ignore the 5-day elapsed period. I've seen people print out a work
instruction and then paste it on a shelving section, where it languishes for
months, being referred to by an entire department, until a savvy manager
sees it and pulls it down. I'm a little surprised that the auditor hasn't
questioned the practice of local printing, to be honest. Most places I've
seen keep a book in a secure place that has all of the instructions in it.
That theoretically precludes the possibility of rogue copies floating around
long after expiration.

Tim Altom
Vice President
Simply Written, Inc.
317.899.5882 (voice)
317.899.5987 (fax)
http://www.iquest.net/simply/simplywritten


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