Summary: Chapter Numbering Problem

Subject: Summary: Chapter Numbering Problem
From: Paul Cordts and Margie Monforton <mmmphc -at- MICH -dot- COM>
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 19:53:50 -0500

I had previously written...
____________
I need help from people who publish and update longer manuals:

My unit writes policy and procedure manuals (approx. 200 pages
total I'd say). We published our most extensive and changing manual in
January and it goes to 270 people.

Now we're faced with adding a new section - ideally in between some
of the other sections, but we've numbered them 1, 2, 3, etc. This
addition would throw the numbering off if we don't republish the
entire manual.
_______________

A summary was requested. You all turned up the following options:

1) Don't number the chapters. Give them a utilitarian name instead.
In the footer/page numbers, use a letter to indicate the
topic. E.G., For Confidentiality, use C-1, etc.
2) Use the parts numbering approach, skipping some numbers for
future growth. E.G., 1, 5, 10, 15. Drawback: It'd be hard
to tell whether or not you (the reader) have a complete manual.
3) Insert chapter numbers that are extensions of what's already
there. E.G., 1, 1.a, 2, 3, etc. or 1, 1.1, 2, 3, etc.
Drawback: What if 1.a doesn't have anything to do with 1?
The reader might infer they're related.
4) Use option #3 only when a short-term fix is necessary but publish
an updated version every 6 or 12 months with renumbered
sections.

We haven't settled on an approach, but we're mulling them over.
Thanks to everyone.

Margie




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