Documenting running water

["Delaney, Misti" <ncr02!ncr02!mdelaney -at- UCS01 -dot- ATTMAIL -dot- COM>]

HELP!

We are documenting a very complex system (6 modules with probably in excess
of 300 screens, and it's changing every day) that is constantly changing:
our primary users are also the beta testers for the user interface.  Not
only are new screens being added, but existing screens are being modified:
fields added or changed (in some cases, the field itself *looks* the same,
but it's *use* and *meaning* have changed!)

We can get our help files out there (if the developers bother to put in the
hooks!) BUT -

any suggestions on how we can indicate to our users that there may be new
information since the last time they looked at the help file?

Note too: our help files are primarily extended field description tables.
 There are some generic procedures (how to add a record for most screens,
how to find information on most screens, etc.) and some screen-specific
procedures where they apply.  We know that this is not optimal, but it's the
situation we inherited and were directed to use.  the plan for making the
transition from this reference-orientation to more of a process orientation
is to have the users give us feedback on what they need that isn't there,
and then we'll put it in.  this also is not optimal, but again we're stuck
with it for the time being.  *sigh*  it's a political thing.

We're also looking for new techniques for revision control so that
individual pages (screens) can be updated without.

     a) re-releasing the entire module every time or
     b) setting up each page as its own section to let us put individual
footers on
          each page.

Our tools are Winword 6.0 and Doc-to-Help.

 TIA

Becca Price
ncr02!bprice -at- attmail -dot- com