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Subject:Re: REquest for advice on Workflow & Tools From:Joe <jsokohl -at- mac -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 9 May 2002 07:06:26 -0400
Many thanks, Bill, for being helpful.
I am indeed pondering a structured approach. One of our architects is
writing a set of documents by using Access tables and queries, using
write-once-use-many approaches. Unfortunately, he's the controller of
those documents. I don't mean that in a mean way--he's quite smart and
quite cooperative and all, but he's not a writer. He's a software
engineer by trade. His strength is in understanding patterns, but not
necessarily in how to communicate them.
At any rate, it's not just an issue of formatting, but I think
formatting is an important issue when one is concerned about the
usability of documents...and the ability for users to find meaning
through the use of documents. In my environment, I might be able to go
the FM 7 route...but I don't know about the DTD route, simply because
that requires another, dedicated person. My experience with FM+SGML is
that creating and maintaining a DTD is not a trivial, part-time solution.
In my environment, I am looked to as the writer and editor and
publisher...a Lone Writer situation, in STC parlance. I'm trying not to
be a bottleneck to the process, but I'm also interested in an element of
quality control. Your advice is extremely helpful as I model these
options (which remain: 1. Create some template.dot files and try to
disseminate and evangelise their usage; 2. Create a Word-to-FM workflow
and publish the documents; 3. Create a Word-to-Canvas workflow and
publish the documents (a new idea, since I'm also a Canvas user)).
Anyway, thanks for the advice.
joe
On Thursday, May 9, 2002, at 02:43 , HALL Bill wrote:
From memory, Joe Sokohl asked for some suggestions on workflow and
tools to
assist managing documents in a multi-author/review environment that
would
avoid the standard problems with authors mucking up styles and
templates.
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